Karoline Leavitt Responds to GOP Criticism Over Iran Strikes with Strong Rebuttal

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not hold back on Monday as she confronted Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and CNN for their claims regarding the Trump administration’s lack of communication with Congress before executing ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ against critical Iranian nuclear installations over the weekend.

During her appearance on ‘Fox & Friends,’ Leavitt reiterated, ‘We did make bipartisan calls.’ She asserted that Massie’s criticisms aligned more closely with Democratic views rather than those of the Republican Party. ‘Thomas Massie… he should be a Democrat because he’s more aligned with them than with the Republican Party. [Both] were given notice,’ she stated firmly.

This rebuttal came after Massie’s remarks on CBS News, where he accused the Trump administration of failing to adequately brief Congress prior to the missile strikes on Iran. He suggested that a thorough discussion about the War Powers Resolution, which he co-sponsored with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would have been more appropriate than unilateral military action.

In his comments on social media, Massie also challenged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who supported the decision to strike due to an impending threat to national security. He questioned, ‘Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?’ This retort drew criticism from Trump, who has recently expressed dissatisfaction with Massie’s stance.

Following Trump’s comments about Massie’s alleged anti-MAGA behavior, Massie shared a post on social media suggesting that Trump was declaring war on him, concluding with, ‘#sassywithmassie.’

Leavitt continued to emphasize the White House’s position regarding the events leading up to the strikes, specifically targeting a CNN report. The CNN article indicated that prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were allegedly not informed about the Iran strikes, while several high-profile Republicans were briefed in advance.

Leavitt expressed her discontent with this narrative and called for a retraction from the news outlet. ‘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, who was briefed prior to the strike. So this notion that CNN ran with at the White House did not give a heads-up to Democrats is just completely false.’

CNN has not responded to requests for comments concerning its report. However, the outlet did amend its story to reflect accurate timing regarding the briefing of lawmakers.

Previously, Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Schumer and Jeffries for comments. While both lawmakers issued statements condemning Trump for the military action and for bypassing congressional approval, neither claimed that they had not been notified or briefed before the strike occurred.

Schumer articulated that no president should unilaterally engage the nation in military conflict, particularly citing ‘erratic threats’ and a lack of strategy as major concerns.

In his statement, Jeffries expressed that Trump had failed in his promise to achieve peace in the Middle East, stating, ‘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.’ He added that the president misled the nation regarding his intentions and neglected to seek congressional authorization for military force, heightening the risk of American entanglement in a potentially dangerous conflict.

Jeffries concluded by highlighting the weighty responsibility Trump now bears in justifying his unilateral actions to the American people.

Reporting contributed by Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Greg Wehner.