WASHINGTON – Members of Congress will hear directly from President Donald Trump’s intelligence leaders Tuesday, receiving classified briefings just three days after Trump directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and a day after Iran struck a U.S. base in Qatar.
The briefings also come the day after Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an “Official END” of their conflict.
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Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have questions about Trump’s unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have come to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks.
“We expect them to explain to the American people what were the results in terms of actually thwarting Iran’s capacity to become a nuclear power and what are the Trump administration’s plans to avoid another potentially disastrous war in the Middle East, where thousands of American lives are potentially at risk,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The separate briefings for the House and Senate will be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg.
The meetings could turn contentious as many lawmakers feel they have been left in the dark on what led to the strikes and amid escalating tensions between the White House and Congress over the role of the United States internationally — disagreements that don’t always fall along party lines.
Democrats have been generally suspicious of Trump’s strategy, and his motives abroad, but some believe the U.S. could have a role in supporting Israel against Iran. Others strongly believe the U.S. should stay out of it.
Some of Trump’s strongest Republican supporters agree with the Democrats, echoing his earlier arguments against “forever wars.” But many others in the party enthusiastically backed the strikes, saying he should have the power to act on his own.
“President Trump deserves all the credit,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after Trump said there would be a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. “This is what peace through strength looks like.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, suggested in a post on X that Trump should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., posted: “Historic! The President of Peace!”
Democrats said they would be looking for more information about the ceasefire that Trump claimed on social media. Israel and Iran did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire.
After Iran’s retaliation on the U.S. base in Qatar on Monday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he wanted an additional classified briefing “laying out the full threat picture, the intelligence behind Iran’s retaliation, and the details, scope, and timeline of any U.S. response.”
Senate Democrats are also forcing a vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., requiring congressional approval for specific military action in Iran.
“You have a debate like this so that the entire American public, whose sons and daughters are in the military and whose lives will be at risk in war, get to see the debate and reach their own conclusion together with the elected officials about whether the mission is worth it or not,” Kaine said Monday.
Communication between the White House and Congress about Iran has been limited for most members. Trump sent congressional leaders a short letter Monday serving as his official notice of the strikes, two days after the bombs fell.
Trump said the attacks were “limited in scope and purpose” and “designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks and limit the risk of escalation.”
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said he wants to ask the intelligence officials what they know about the damage done by the bombings, and how successful they were.
“There’s a reason why the Constitution requires the Congress to be informed and the president to seek approval in beginning a war, which is the founders thought that the people should have a say, that the president shouldn’t act alone,” Blumenthal said.
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Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.