Senators Diverge Sharply After Classified Iran Briefing

Senators emerged from a classified briefing Thursday with sharply diverging assessments of President Trump's bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefing, originally scheduled for Tuesday. A similar briefing for House members will be held Friday.

• Republicans satisfied. Many Republicans left satisfied, though their assessments of how much Iran's nuclear program was set back by the bombing varied, the AP reports. Sen. Tom Cotton said a "major blow" and "catastrophic damage" had been dealt to Iran's facilities. "Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There's no reason to hit those sites anytime soon," said Sen. Lindsey Graham.

• Democrats doubtful. Democrats remained doubtful and criticized Trump for not giving Congress more information. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the briefing "raised more questions than it answered." Sen. Chris Murphy said the strike appears to "have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months." "There's no doubt there was damage done to the program," said Murphy, but "allegations that we have obliterated their program just don't seem to stand up to reason." He added, "I just do not think the president was telling the truth when he said this program was obliterated."
• Senators to vote on resolution. The session came as senators weighed their support for a resolution by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine affirming that Trump should seek authorization from Congress before launching more military action against Iran. A vote on that resolution could come as soon as Thursday. Democrats, and some Republicans, have said the White House overstepped its authority when it failed to seek the advice of Congress. They also want to know more about the intelligence that Trump relied on when he authorized the attacks. "I will have Republican votes, plural," Kaine said. "But whether it's two or 10, I don't know."

Earlier Thursday, Hegseth scolded reporters, especially a former Fox colleague, over reports on a leaked early intelligence assessment that suggested the damage to the sites had been less severe than Trump claimed.