House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized President Trump's strikes on Iran. (Getty Images)
Jeffries claimed he had not seen "a scintilla of evidence to date" that shows "there was an imminent threat to the United States of America."
"If the administration has evidence to the contrary, come up to present it. We're not hard to find. I'm not hiding," he said.
The House Democratic leader said he requested a briefing Tuesday for the Gang of Eight, the informal name for the top party and intelligence leaders in Congress.
Trump green-lit airstrikes on three of Tehran's major nuclear sites over the weekend. The president said on Truth Social Monday that the areas hit were "completely destroyed."
The move has sharply divided Democrats, with some pro-Israel moderates backing Trump's move — while several progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have called for the president's impeachment over the operation.
Dozens of left-wing lawmakers have gotten behind a bipartisan war powers resolution by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to limit Trump's ability to strike Iran.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for Trump's impeachment over his actions in Iran. (Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo)
When reached for comment on Jeffries' demands for justification, the White House referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments on Fox News Monday morning.
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"The White House made calls to congressional leadership. They were bipartisan calls. In fact, Hakeem Jeffries couldn't be reached. We tried him before the strike, and he didn't pick up the phone, but he was briefed after, as well as [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.], who was briefed prior to the strike," Leavitt said.
"We gave these calls as a courtesy, and the Democrats are lying about this, because they can't talk about the truth of the success of that operation and the success of our United States military and the success of this president and this administration in doing something that past administrations — Democrats too — have only dreamed about."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hakeem-jeffries-demands-trump-justify-striking-iran-side-steps-impeachment-question