White House: Rubio Briefed Gang Of Eight Before Iran Op

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday that senior congressional leaders were notified in advance of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation targeting Iran, pushing back on claims that President Donald J. Trump acted without proper authorization.

Leavitt’s statement, posted to X, came as critics questioned whether the president had launched the strikes without congressional approval.

“President Trump monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago alongside members of his national security team. The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone,” Leavitt wrote.

“Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the gang of eight to provide congressional notification, and he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members,” she added.

“The President and his national security team will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout the day.”

Leavitt did not specify whether President Trump would return to Washington or remain at his Florida residence.

The so-called “Gang of Eight” — which includes the Senate and House majority and minority leaders along with the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees — is traditionally briefed on highly sensitive national security matters. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed the group had received advance notice.

“The Gang of Eight was briefed in detail earlier this week about potential military action against Iran,” Johnson said, according to The Independent.

Under the National Security Act of 1947, Congress must be kept “fully informed” of significant intelligence activities. However, scholars — including those at Harvard Kennedy School — have noted that presidents from both parties have long interpreted that requirement as satisfied by briefing the Gang of Eight rather than the full intelligence committees, particularly in time-sensitive operations.

Despite that precedent, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) criticized the action, writing on X, “Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.” He and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) had planned to force a vote next week aimed at restricting the president’s ability to strike Iran without formal congressional authorization.

As the war powers debate intensified, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that Iran had been designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention, escalating diplomatic pressure on Tehran.

“When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage taking of US embassy staff,” Rubio said in a statement.

“For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This abhorrent practice must end.”

Rubio noted that President Trump signed an executive order last fall to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad and that Congress later enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025.

“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions,” Rubio said.

The statement also warned of additional measures if Tehran fails to comply, including a potential “geographic travel restriction on the use of US passports to, through, or from Iran.”

Amid rising tensions, the State Department confirmed that Rubio had canceled a planned March 2 trip to Israel. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson wrote on X: “Due to current circumstances, Secretary Rubio will no longer travel to Israel on March 2.”

The White House has maintained that congressional notification requirements were met and that President Trump acted squarely within his constitutional authority as commander in chief. As the regional crisis unfolds, the administration continues to argue that decisive action abroad — paired with proper legal process at home — is essential to safeguarding American interests.