How Rubio Prepared Congress For US Campaign Against Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was preparing Congress for the administration’s attack on Iran in the days before the strikes, a State Department official told the Daily Caller.
President Donald Trump announced at 2:57 a.m. Saturday via video message that his administration had begun striking Iran in order to eliminate imminent “threats.”threats Since THE Iranian regime.” Before the attacks, Rubio consulted with the “Gang of Eight” during an hour-long briefing Tuesday, a State Department official told the caller. (RELATED: ‘Not safe from darkness’: Bret Baier weighs in on the implications of a broad daylight strike on Iran)
The Gang of Eight is made up of Republican and Democratic congressional leaders who are briefed on classified matters by the executive branch.
Rubio was able to connect with seven of the eight members because one of them was unreachable, the official added. The War Department also sent notifications to the armed services committees early this morning after the strikes began, the official told the caller.
Rubio is currently at Mar-a-Lago with the president, the official added.
State Department official says @DailyCaller the following about the administrator’s strikes against Iran:
– Sec Rubio outlined the situation and consulted with Go8 on Tuesday during an hour-long briefing.
– Sec Rubio called all Go8 members to inform them in advance. He…
-Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) February 28, 2026
Some members of the Gang of Eight released statements Saturday morning following the strikes.
Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the administration had entered a “war of choice with no strategic end.”
“As I told Secretary Rubio during his briefing with the Gang of Eight, military action in the region almost never ends well for the United States, and conflict with Iran can easily fester and escalate in ways we cannot predict,” Himes added.
Rep. Jim Himes – a member of the Gang of 8 who received a closed-door briefing on Iran – on the US-Israeli strikes:
“Everything I heard from the administration before and after these strikes against Iran confirms that this is a war of choice, with no strategic purpose. » pic.twitter.com/PwRzbQm91Y
– Farnoush Amiri (@FarnoushAmiri) February 28, 2026
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee, said: “The president owes the country clear answers: What is the goal? What is the strategy to prevent escalation? And how does that make Americans safer?”
Meet MARK WARNER, the Senate’s top intelligence Democrat. pic.twitter.com/RUakK2y3EV
-Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 28, 2026
President Mike Johnson struck a more optimistic tone, writing on
The White House and War Department referred the caller to the president’s video message for insight into his thinking behind the attack.
The president said in his message that Iran “rejected each opportunity has give up their nuclear ambitions. » He called on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the armed forces to lay down their arms in order to benefit from complete immunity.
“The policy of the United States, particularly that of my administration, has always been that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I repeat, they can never have a nuclear weapon,” the president said in his message.
“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry. It will be totally wiped out again. We are going to wipe out their navy,” Trump continued.
“We will ensure that terrorist proxies in the region can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called, to so seriously injure and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. That’s a very simple message,” he added.
President Donald J. Trump on United States military combat operations in Iran: pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ
– The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026
Trump revealed more of his thought process behind the attacks during a call with The Washington Post early Saturday morning. (RELATED: ‘We’re Not Going to Take This Anymore’: President Trump Announces ‘Massive, Continued Operation’ Against Iran)
He told the outlet that his main concern was the “freedom” of the Iranian people, and added that his administration “is working to make Iran a ‘safe’ place.”
In his video message, Trump encouraged the Iranian people to stay inside until the attacks end and then work to seize power.
“When we’re done, take back your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations. For many years, you asked America for help, but you never got it. No president was prepared to do what I am prepared to do tonight,” Trump said.
What are the “America First” arguments for striking Iran? Where do things stand between the War Department and Anthropic? How will Sec Hegseth campaign for the GOP in 2026? @PressSecDOW answers these questions in our @DailyCaller sit down: pic.twitter.com/PxQVMogERo
-Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) February 26, 2026
Just days before the attack, War Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson told the Caller about the game plan in Iran. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: War Department Reveals Game Plan for Massive Armada It’s Creating)
“We have a lot of assets there, a lot of planes there, and we’re going to make sure that the people of Iran know that we’re serious, and that the regime and the mullahs there in particular, know that we’re serious. They remember Midnight Hammer and the success of that operation. They also, like the rest of the world and our enemies, watched Maduro’s raid,” Wilson told the caller.
“They see what the United States military, and only the United States military is capable of doing, it would be very wise for them to make a deal with this president. And I would also add that the president has been clear, whether on the campaign trail or throughout his presidency, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That is a red line, and we in the War Department fully support this initiative,” Wilson concluded.
A State Department official confirmed to the caller that they have established a task force to assist American citizens in the Middle East and support diplomatic efforts in the region.
