The Trump administration is set to restrict the amount of classified information it provides to Congress, especially following recent discussions regarding internal assessments that suggest Iran’s nuclear capabilities are not as severely impacted as the president has stated.
This decision is prompting Democratic leaders to argue against limiting Congressional access based on mere speculation.
White House officials confirmed the announcement, originally reported by Axios. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated on Wednesday that the Department of Defense is looking into potential leaks from the Defense Intelligence Agency regarding these assessments.
“The FBI has informed me that the leak is currently under investigation, and this needs to be communicated since only a limited number of officials in the US government could have been involved,” White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
Recently, the US targeted three Iranian nuclear sites in a strike carried out last Saturday.
In spite of the administration’s assertion that the attack would hinder Iran’s nuclear capabilities for years to come, initial reports suggest that the damage may have only temporarily set back the program by a few months.
According to Axios, the information in question was disseminated immediately after being uploaded to Capnet, a system designated for sharing intelligence with Congress.
Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed his disapproval of the administration’s approach.
“While leaks of classified information are unacceptable and should be thoroughly investigated—with accountability for those responsible—it is also unjustified to use baseless guesses about leak sources to limit Congress’s access, especially when over a million individuals within the government have clearance to view these sensitive reports,” he stated.
“The law mandates that the Congressional Intelligence Committee be kept fully informed, and we expect that the Intelligence community will adhere to this requirement,” he added.
Lawmakers had been slated to receive a classified briefing on the administration’s actions against Iran on Tuesday, but that has now been postponed until later this week.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a briefing on Thursday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated that the House briefing will take place on Friday.
Officials are firmly pushing back against early internal assessments suggesting that US strikes may have only marginally slowed Iran’s nuclear program. Trump and his allies have claimed the impact was significant, asserting that it effectively eradicated Iran’s capacity to pursue nuclear weapons.
Furthermore, President Trump referenced evaluations from the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission that highlighted the success of the US’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, suggesting that it has deferred Iran’s nuclear ambitions “for many years.”
