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 leading up to the strikes, a State Department official explained to the Daily Caller.

President Donald Trump announced via video message at 2:57 AM on Saturday that his administration had begun to strike Iran in order to eliminate eminent “threats from the Iranian regime.” Ahead of the attacks, Rubio consulted with the “Gang of Eight” in an hour long briefing Tuesday, a State Department official told the Caller. (RELATED: ‘Not Under Cover Of Darkness’: Bret Baier Opines About Implications Of Daylight Strike On Iran)

The Gang of Eight consists of both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress who are briefed on classified matters by the executive branch.

Rubio was able to connect with seven of the eight members, as one was unreachable, the official added. The Department of War also provided notifications to Armed Services Committees early this morning after strikes had commenced, the official told the Caller.

Rubio is currently in Mar-a-Lago with the president, the official added.

State department official tells @DailyCaller the following about the admin’s strikes on Iran:

– Sec Rubio laid out the situation and consulted Go8 Tuesday in an hour long briefing.

– Sec Rubio made calls to all Go8 members to give them a heads up ahead of time. He…

— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) February 28, 2026

Some members of the Gang of Eight issued statements Saturday morning following the strikes.

Democratic Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the administration has entered a “war of choice with no strategic endgame.”

“As I expressed to Secretary Rubio when he briefed the Gang of Eight, military action in the region almost never ends well for the United States, and conflict with Iran can easily spiral and escalate in ways we cannot anticipate,” Himes added.

Rep. Jim Himes — part of the Gang of 8 who received a closed-door briefing on Iran — on US-Israel strikes:

“Everything I have heard from the Administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame.” pic.twitter.com/PwRzbQm91Y

— Farnoush Amiri (@FarnoushAmiri) February 28, 2026

Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the Senate Select Committee Vice Chairman, stated “The president owes the country clear answers: What is the objective? What is the strategy to prevent escalation? And how does this make Americans safer?”

Here’s MARK WARNER, the top Democrat on Senate Intelligence. pic.twitter.com/RUakK2y3EV

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 28, 2026

Speaker Mike Johnson struck a more optimistic tone, writing on X, “Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder of Americans—and even their own people.”

The White House and the Department of War referred the Caller to the president’s video message for insight on his thought process behind the attack.

The president said in his message that Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions.” He called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the armed forces to lay down their weapons in order to have complete immunity. 

“It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular, my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon,” the president said in his message.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raise their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again, obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” Trump continued.

“We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies 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 gravely wound and kill 1000s and 1000s of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message,” he added.

President Donald J. Trump on the United States military combat operations in Iran: pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026

Trump opened up more on his thought process behind the attacks in a call with The Washington Post early Saturday morning. (RELATED: ‘We’re Not Going To Put Up With It Any Longer’: President Trump Announces ‘Massive And Ongoing Operation’ Against Iran)

He told the outlet his main concern is “freedom” for the Iranian people, and added that his administration is “is working to make Iran a place that’s ‘safe.’”

In his video message, Trump encouraged the Iranian people to stay inside until the attacks were over and then work to take over the government.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight,” Trump said.

What is the ‘America First’ case for striking Iran? Where do things stand between the Department of War + Anthropic? How will Sec Hegseth be campaigning for the GOP in 2026? @PressSecDOW answers those questions in our @DailyCaller sit down: pic.twitter.com/PxQVMogERo

— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) February 26, 2026

Just days before the attack, Department of War press secretary Kingsley Wilson explained the game plan in Iran to the Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Department Of War Reveals Game Plan For Massive Armada It’s Creating) 

“We’ve got a lot of assets over there, a lot of aircraft over there, and we’re going to make sure that the Iranian people know we mean business, and the regime and the mullahs there particularly, know we mean business. They remember Midnight Hammer and the success of that operation. They also, like the rest of the world and our enemies, watched the Maduro raid,” Wilson told the Caller.

“They see what the United States military, and only the United States military is capable of doing so, 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 entire presidency, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That is a red line, and we at the Department of War are in full support of that initiative,” Wilson concluded.

A State Department official confirmed to the Caller that they have set up a task force to assist American citizens in the Middle East and support diplomatic efforts in the region.