President Donald Trump’s bold strike on Iran’s nuclear sites has sparked a firestorm, with the White House fiercely denying CNN’s claims about who got the memo.
Fox News reported that on Saturday, Trump unleashed "Operation: Midnight Hammer," targeting three key Iranian nuclear facilities, a move that’s now embroiled in a heated dispute over congressional briefings. The clash reveals a deeper tension between the administration and media outlets eager to paint a chaotic picture.
Trump’s operation, announced as a success Saturday night, hit Iran’s nuclear ambitions hard. The White House insists bipartisan congressional leaders were looped in, but CNN’s report suggests otherwise, stirring the pot of political distrust.
According to CNN, Republican leaders House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune got advance notice of the strikes.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were allegedly left in the dark until just before the public reveal. This narrative fuels the left’s outrage, but is it the full story?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t mince words, blasting CNN’s report as "fake news" on X.
She insisted Schumer was called before the strike and Jeffries was briefed afterward only because he couldn’t be reached earlier. Leavitt’s demand for a retraction underscores the administration’s frustration with media spin.
“This is Fake News,” Leavitt posted, asserting that bipartisan courtesy calls were made. Her sharp rebuke suggests CNN cherry-picked facts to fit a narrative, a tactic conservatives argue is all too common in legacy media. The White House’s pushback aims to set the record straight, but will it stick?
CNN’s silence speaks volumes, as they’ve yet to respond to requests for comment. Their report also claimed Senate and House intelligence committee members, like Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, were clueless until after the strikes. This paints a picture of secrecy, but the White House counters that protocol was followed.
Schumer and Jeffries didn’t hold back, condemning Trump’s strike as reckless. They argued he sidestepped congressional authorization, a serious charge that sidesteps their briefing status. Their statements focus on process, not notification, which muddles CNN’s claims.
“No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,” Schumer declared.
His rhetoric, heavy on drama, conveniently ignores Leavitt’s assertion that he was briefed. It’s a classic case of shifting the goalposts to score political points.
Schumer’s call for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to enforce the War Powers Act adds another layer of tension. He’s framing Trump as a rogue actor, yet the White House insists proper channels were used. This discrepancy fuels conservative skepticism of Democratic motives.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Jeffries’ offices, but responses are pending.
Their silence on the briefing specifics leaves room for speculation about whether CNN’s report holds water. The lack of clarity only deepens the divide between Trump’s team and his critics.
The White House’s version of events paints a picture of due diligence under tight constraints. Leavitt’s claim that Jeffries was unreachable suggests logistical hurdles, not deliberate exclusion. Yet CNN’s framing amplifies Democratic grievances, a move conservatives see as par for the course.
CNN’s selective reporting risks overshadowing the strike’s strategic success by focusing on who was briefed when; they deflect from the operation’s impact on Iran’s nuclear threat. This bait-and-switch is why many on the right distrust mainstream outlets.
Trump’s decisiveness in targeting Iran’s facilities signals a no-nonsense approach to national security. Critics like Schumer may cry foul, but supporters argue the strike was a necessary flex of American strength. The briefing brouhaha feels like a distraction from the real win.
