Oh, dear Lord: No, the Gang of Eight Has NOTHING to Do with the Cartel... SMH

The “Gang of Eight” is a colloquial term referring to an eight-member group of congressional leaders who receive highly sensitive intelligence briefings from the executive branch.

Legally, this group includes the majority and minority leaders of both the House and Senate, along with the chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

This group’s existence aims to balance the need for secrecy in extraordinary operations with congressional oversight.

The Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980 mandates that the CIA keep congressional oversight committees fully informed of intelligence activities, including significant anticipated intelligence activity, but allows the President to limit reporting to the Gang of Eight under “extraordinary circumstances” when it is deemed essential to limit access to information about a covert action.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the Gang of Eight regarding potential military action against Iran.

House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the Gang of Eight was briefed in detail on the possibility that military action might become necessary to protect American troops and citizens in Iran.

This briefing occurred ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

The administration had not briefed the group in advance of some previous military operations, such as the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020, and Operation Midnight Hammer, which involved bombing three nuclear sites in Iran.

The decision to brief these senior lawmakers signals that any contemplated action against Iran could be substantial.