White House Officials Respond to Criticism Over Iran Operation

White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt recently remarked that the Trump administration may not have adequately informed lawmakers before initiating Operation Midnight Hammer, a military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities that took place over the weekend. Both Congressman Thomas Massey and CNN found themselves in the crosshairs of her comments on Monday.

During an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Leavitt stated, “We made a bipartisan call.” She added, “Thomas Massey… perhaps he should align more with the Democrats given his consistency with their views.” Her comments came after Kentucky lawmakers indicated in a CBS News report that the administration had not provided sufficient briefings to Congress prior to the operation.

Following the strike, Massey expressed frustration on a social platform, questioning House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) assertion that the action was justified due to an “immediate danger.” Massie asked, “Why didn’t you call us back when our country faced a serious threat?” This drew ire from Trump, who subsequently criticized Massey.

In a recent post, Massey directed attention to Trump’s comments on his stance against military action, suggesting that congressional approval for military operations is critical. Leavitt also referenced CNN’s coverage, where Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed many Republican lawmakers were not informed about Trump’s strikes on Iran.

This story has garnered attention, leading Leavitt to demand a retraction from CNN regarding details of their report. In response to the operation, Schumer and Jeffries openly condemned Trump’s actions, insisting that prior congressional approval should have been sought.

“The White House did attempt a bipartisan call to Congressional leaders. We reached out to Hakeem Jeffries, but he didn’t answer,” Leavitt explained, mentioning that Schumer had been briefed beforehand.

CNN has yet to respond to prior requests for comments about the discrepancies highlighted by Fox News Digital. Notably, while Schumer and Jeffries criticized Trump over the weekend’s strikes, they did not claim that they were left uninformed about the operation.

Schumer stated, “The President should not have the ability to act unilaterally regarding such significant matters as war without clear justification.” Jeffries added that Trump has failed to deliver on his promise of peace in the Middle East, increasing the risks of conflict and endangering American troops.

In a closing statement, he underscored the importance of transparency from Trump regarding the unilateral decisions made about military action.