Trump admin kept top Democrats in dark on strikes in Iran? White House clarifies; says it made 'bipartisan courtesy calls'
File: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has clarified that the Donald Trump administration made "bipartisan courtesy calls" to brief the Congressional leadership well before the US forces conducted air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran - codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer.
Also Read | 'Grossly unconstitutional': Democrats slam Donald Trump after US strikes on Iran; some call for impeachment
Leavitt's statement came after several US media outlets, including CNN and Axios, claimed that the Trump administration - the US President is a Republican - briefed only the top two Republicans in the Congress (House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate majority leader John Thune) before the operation.
"This is fake news. The White House made bipartisan courtesy calls to Congressional leadership and spoke to @SenSchumer before the strike.
@RepJeffries could not be reached until after, but he was briefed. Please retract," she wrote on X.
Karoline Leavitt's post
Leavitt was referring to Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats.
Earlier, it was reported that Schumer was informed shortly before Trump's address to the nation on the mission in Iran, while Jeffries came to know well after the attack.
'Trump misled the country': Hakeem Jeffries
Meanwhile, in a statement on X, Jeffries accused Trump of "misleading" the nation, and called for an immediate and classified Congressional briefing.
"President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization, and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East," the Democrat said.
Hakeem Jeffries statement
"Congress must be fully and immediately briefed in a classified setting," he added.
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