White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday pushed back strongly against both Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and CNN over claims that the Trump administration failed to notify members of Congress prior to launching a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Leavitt said, “We did make bipartisan calls.”
She directly criticized Massie, stating, “Thomas Massie… he should be a Democrat because he’s more aligned with them than with the Republican Party. [Both] were given notice.”
.@PressSec on @RepThomasMassie
“Thomas Massie should be a democrat. He is more aligned with them than the Republican Party.” pic.twitter.com/DkTLvoyIv9
— Trending Politics (@tpbreaking) June 23, 2025
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Her comments followed statements made by Massie on CBS News, where he claimed the administration did not brief Congress before launching “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure over the weekend.
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Massie further argued that Congress should have been given the opportunity to debate a War Powers Resolution he co-sponsored with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
The airstrikes, which were authorized by President Donald Trump, drew a wide range of responses from lawmakers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the president’s decision, stating that it was made in response to an “imminent danger.”
Massie, however, responded on X, saying, “Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?”
President Trump criticized Massie’s stance, labeling it anti-MAGA. When Fox News Digital reached out to Massie’s office for comment, they were directed to a recent post on X that read, “[Donald Trump] declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress. #sassywithmassie.”
Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country? https://t.co/vi9sTvG56L
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 22, 2025
Leavitt also addressed a CNN report that claimed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were not briefed on the operation, while Republican leaders were. Leavitt accused the network of spreading false information and called for a retraction.
“The White House made calls to congressional leadership. They were bipartisan calls. In fact, Hakeem Jeffries couldn’t be reached. We tried him before the strike, and he didn’t pick up the phone, but he was briefed after, as well as Chuck Schumer was briefed prior to the strike,” Leavitt said.
“So this notion that CNN ran with at the White House did not give a heads up to Democrats is just completely false.”
While both issued statements criticizing the Trump administration for not seeking congressional approval, neither directly claimed they were not briefed.
In his statement, Schumer said, “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.”
Jeffries wrote, “Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way.”
“President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
Jeffries concluded that the president has a “heavy burden” to explain the reasons behind the operation to the American people.
As debate continues in Washington, the administration maintains that it acted appropriately and within its authority, emphasizing the need to neutralize imminent threats to national security.
The White House has continued to assert that lawmakers were contacted in advance and will remain informed about further developments in the region.
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.
@CNN please retract. https://t.co/4VCgjkznKH
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) June 22, 2025
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