Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed congressional leaders from the so-called Gang of Eight on Feb. 24, hours before President Trump's State of the Union address, but deliberately omitted a critical detail: the administration was considering a regime-change operation in Iran, the New York Times reported.
As reported by "Hvylya", Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke to the bipartisan group of lawmakers via video teleconference from the White House. They discussed the intelligence behind the planned strikes, possible timing, and a potential "offramp" - if Iran agreed to give up nuclear enrichment at upcoming talks. But Rubio never mentioned that the goal had expanded beyond Iran's nuclear and missile programs to include the leadership itself.
Rubio made a specific argument to justify joint action with Israel: no matter which country struck first, Iran would respond with a powerful barrage of weapons against U.S. bases and embassies. It was logical, he said, that the United States should act in concert with Israel, since America would be dragged in anyway. And Israel, he emphasized, was determined to act.
This reasoning did not sit well with some Democrats, who believed the Trump administration was letting Netanyahu dictate American policy and was making a circular argument - that the United States had to attack because its own military buildup could provoke Iran into striking first. The White House had also largely ignored demands by lawmakers that Trump seek congressional consent before launching a campaign against Iran.
Just three days after this briefing, while flying aboard Air Force One to Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump gave the order for Operation Epic Fury - a sustained attack that would begin with the killing of Iran's supreme leader. The scope of the operation far exceeded anything Rubio had described to Congress.
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