Democrats Slam Trump Over Canceled Iran Briefing After Damning Leak: “What Are They Hiding?”

Democrats are raising hell on Capitol Hill after the Trump administration abruptly canceled a pair of classified briefings on the recent U.S. strikes against Iran—just days after a leaked intel report cast serious doubt on the president’s bold claims of “obliterating” Iran’s nuclear program.

Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the House and Senate briefings were suddenly rescheduled for Thursday and Friday, respectively. The White House says the delay was due to scheduling conflicts—namely, Secretaries Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth joining President Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague. But many Democrats aren’t buying it.

“This administration has a legal obligation to keep Congress informed,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Tuesday. “So what’s the holdup? What are they afraid we’ll find out?”

The fury comes just days after Trump, flanked by Vice President J.D. Vance, declared that U.S. warplanes had executed a “spectacular” strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. “Iran’s enrichment capabilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump proclaimed in a televised address Saturday night.

But according to a leaked assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency, obtained by multiple outlets including CNN and The New York Times, Iran’s uranium stockpile remains largely untouched—and most of its key centrifuges survived the attack. In short: the damage was far less catastrophic than Trump claimed, and may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.

“It’s déjà vu,” warned Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). “This feels a lot like Iraq. We went to war then based on cherry-picked intelligence and presidential deception. I’m deeply worried we’re watching history repeat itself.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a longtime advocate for congressional war powers, echoed the concern: “We’ve been here before. When an administration starts lying about intelligence to justify military action, Americans pay the price.”

Notably, the administration bypassed Congress entirely in ordering the Iran strikes—despite no formal declaration of war and no evidence of an imminent threat to the United States. The Constitution requires congressional approval for offensive military action unless there’s a direct threat to national security.

The last official word Congress received on Iran’s nuclear program came back in March, when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. No public update has been given since.

The leaked intel has clearly rattled the administration. In a furious post on Truth Social, Trump lashed out at the media:
“FAKE NEWS CNN AND THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES ARE LYING TO DISCREDIT ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL STRIKES IN MILITARY HISTORY. THEY ARE TRAITORS!”

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell downplayed the DIA report, calling it “a low-confidence assessment” that could change as more data comes in. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the leaked analysis outright as “flat-out wrong.”

But congressional Democrats aren’t letting go.

“The delay in briefings isn’t about logistics—it’s about panic,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) told Axios. “The president went on TV and told the world he’d wiped out Iran’s nuclear program. Now his team knows they can’t back that up—and they’re scrambling.”

The Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities—targeted in the U.S. strikes—have long been at the center of Iran’s disputed enrichment efforts. Built deep underground or heavily fortified, these sites were designed to survive bombings. Experts have warned for years that conventional airstrikes might not destroy them outright.

And yet, in true Trump fashion, the president promised total destruction. Now, with conflicting reports and a canceled briefing, critics say the truth may be exactly what this White House doesn’t want Americans to see.

“This smells like a cover-up,” Schumer said. “And if it is, we’re going to find out.”