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Trump's Iran lies begin to crumble into an embarrassing mess - The Briefing with Jen Psaki | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Trump's Iran lies begin to crumble into an embarrassing mess

Wed Jun 25 2025

Jen Psaki reports on the evolving explanations and contradictory statements from the Trump administration about the U.S. bombing of Iran, and new reports that Iran's nuclear program is not, in fact, "obliterated," as public polling already shows that Trump's decision to bomb Iran is mostly unpopular with Americans.

Summary

Summary of "Trump's Iran Lies Begin to Crumble into an Embarrassing Mess" – The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Release Date: June 25, 2025

In this episode of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki," host Jen Psaki delves into the unfolding situation surrounding former President Donald Trump's claims about the effectiveness of his administration's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The discussion highlights the discrepancy between Trump's public statements and the emerging intelligence assessments, shedding light on the broader political ramifications both domestically and internationally.

1. Trump's Assertions vs. Intelligence Assessments

The episode opens with a critical examination of Trump's declarations regarding the obliteration of Iran's nuclear program. The Unknown Political Commentator narrates the initial claims made by Trump and his allies:

"Iran's nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated." ([00:53])

However, this narrative is challenged by subsequent reports from reputable sources. The commentator highlights conflicting intelligence assessments:

"Early U.S. intel assessments suggest strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites." ([02:10])

"Strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months." ([02:30])

Notably, NBC News emphasized that much of Iran's enriched uranium was relocated prior to the strikes, minimizing the impact of the attacks.

2. White House Response and Internal Contradictions

In response to the burgeoning evidence contradicting Trump's statements, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt issued a rebuttal:

"This alleged assessment is flat out wrong and was classified as top secret..." ([03:15])

The commentator points out inconsistencies in Levitt's statement, questioning the classification and the alleged leak by a "low-level" intelligence official. This skepticism underscores the administration's struggle to maintain credibility.

3. Public and Political Reactions

A CNN poll cited in the episode reveals a significant shift in public opinion:

"A majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's decision to strike Iran by a 12-point margin." ([06:05])

Furthermore, the discussion transitions to Trump's domestic policies, particularly his controversial spending bill. Despite aggressive campaigning by Trump and his allies to portray the bill as beneficial, multiple nonpartisan polls indicate widespread unpopularity:

"At least five nonpartisan polls taken this month all find Trump's bill is deeply unpopular with the American people." ([07:58])

4. Elizabeth Warren's Critique

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren joins the conversation to provide a counter-narrative to Trump's actions. She critiques the administration's approach to Iran and emphasizes the necessity of negotiation over military intervention:

"The only way that we are going to have for keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon over a long arc is to negotiate." ([14:06])

Warren further condemns the proposed Medicaid cuts in Trump's bill, highlighting the severe impact on vulnerable populations:

"This bill is going to take away health care from 16 million Americans... People all across this country are calling their senators and their Republican senators saying, vote against that bill." ([17:22])

5. Whistleblower Allegations Against Emil Bovey

The episode shifts focus to internal misconduct within the Department of Justice, specifically involving former Trump attorney Emil Bovey. A whistleblower report alleges that Bovey instructed subordinates to defy court orders to advance Trump's deportation policies:

"If the court blocked an anticipated deportation flight, they would need to consider telling the courts, f you and ignore any such order." ([23:09])

Ryan Croswell, a former DOJ prosecutor, corroborates these allegations, expressing deep concern over Bovey's actions and the broader implications for judicial integrity:

"I think that we witnessed this transpire in Judge Boasberg's court." ([26:08])

Croswell advocates for accountability, urging senators to question Bovey thoroughly during his upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.

6. Immigration Policies and Financial Conflicts of Interest

The commentator exposes potential conflicts of interest involving Stephen Miller, who played a pivotal role in shaping Trump's immigration policies. It is revealed that Miller holds significant stakes in Palantir, a data analytics company benefiting financially from Trump's immigration crackdown:

"Stephen Miller... owns up to $250,000 in Palantir stock." ([30:08])

This revelation raises ethical concerns about policy decisions influenced by personal financial gains, undermining trust in governmental institutions.

7. Congressional Briefings and Transparency Issues

The episode critiques the administration's transparency, particularly concerning the delayed congressional briefing on the Iran strikes. Democratic Congressman Jim Himes voices frustration over the postponement:

"This last-minute postponement of our briefing is outrageous. It's evasive." ([36:26])

Himes draws parallels to past administrations, emphasizing the critical need for consistent and non-partisan information sharing to uphold democratic accountability.

Conclusion

Jen Psaki's episode effectively dissects the contradictions between Trump's public statements and the reality of his administration's actions concerning Iran and domestic policies. Through interviews with key political figures like Elizabeth Warren and insights from whistleblowers, the briefing underscores the growing discontent among the American populace and the pressing need for transparency and accountability in governance.

Notable moments include Elizabeth Warren's emphatic statements on the necessity of negotiation with Iran ([14:06]) and Ryan Croswell's firsthand account of Emil Bovey's misconduct ([26:08]). These segments highlight the internal conflicts and ethical dilemmas facing the current political landscape.

As Trump's narratives continue to unravel in the face of incontrovertible evidence and public opposition, the episode paints a vivid picture of an administration struggling to maintain its footing amid mounting challenges both at home and abroad.

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Transcript

Ashley Flowers (0:00)

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Unknown Political Commentator (0:53)

So Donald Trump and all of his MAGA minions, many of his MAGA minions, I guess I should say, have been lying to the country for days. They have lied to all of us over and over and over again. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were obliterated. We have obliterated the Iranian nuclear program.

Unknown Advertiser (1:19)

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Unknown Political Commentator (1:22)

Sites were completely and totally obliterated. Iran's nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated. I feel like maybe they had a note card that said obliterated on it and they gave it to all those people and made them say it. Who knows? But that was the message from the Trump administration since Saturday night. Clearly that's what they kept saying over and over and over again. Even by the way, as top members of the military, including high ranking people within this administration, were saying it was too early to make an assessment because it is too early to make was too early to make an assessment. And now here are the headlines from this afternoon. Here's one from CNN. Early U.S. intel assessments suggest strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites. From the New York Times. Strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months. US Report says that's according to an initial classified intelligence assessment which reportedly found that the US Strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, quote, did not collapse their underground buildings and set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months. In fact, from all this reporting, a lot of it came out this afternoon, it turns out that much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was moved before the strikes, which destroyed little of the nuclear material. In our own reporting, NBC News put an even finer point on it, saying, quote, an initial assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency concludes that the U.S. airstrikes conducted over the weekend on Iran's nuclear enrichment sites were, were not as effective as President Trump. Donald Trump said to state the obvious, claiming you obliterated Iran's nuclear program doesn't make it so. And it's something that people then assess, including the military. But for Trump, it's always about the one day of headlines, the one word slogan claiming victory right off the bat, about obfuscation and defiance being prioritized over facts. And that will continue, I expect, in the face of these new facts. Take, for example, the statement released today by White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. Here's what she had to say. This alleged assessment is flat out wrong and was classified as top secret, but was still leaked by an anonymous low level loser in the intelligence community. There is a lot to unpack there. Couple questions here. If the assessment is flat out wrong, why was it classified as top secret, as she also characterized it? And if it's top secret, why do low level losers, as she called them, have access to it? Lots of questions there. Her statement obviously makes no sense. Of course it doesn't. But we see this cycle constantly. Donald Trump says something, facts and reality say something else. And then his people have to kind of twist themselves into knots trying to explain why he's right. And we're all apparently crazy, though we're not. I mean, it was just yesterday that Trump announced that he had brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. In fact, he was so confident in his negotiation skills that he told NBC News, quote, I think the ceasefire is unlimited. It's going to go forever. I don't believe they will ever be shooting at each other again. But that statement had a shelf life of a few hours because Israel and Iran started firing at each other overnight just a few hours after he said that. Even Trump couldn't deny that reality and the embarrassment that his ceasefire wasn't as forever as he had hoped. And all those big feelings apparently prompted him to drop an F bomb on the White House lawn this morning. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard.

Unknown Political Commentator (5:01)

Well, someone is a little cranky today, it seems. But that was the pure, unvarnished reaction. You get when Trump cannot spin away the truth, when facts on the ground make it impossible for him just to declare victory and kind of walk away. And we can expect to see more of it, because Trump's spin on these Iran strikes keeps falling apart every day. I mean, for days now, Trump has been contradicting his own intelligence chief, saying that Iran was suddenly closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. That's what he said. That's what he said started this war in the first place. But as the Washington Post reveals, Netanyahu's decision to strike Iran had been in the works for months, even before Trump was elected, and was more kind of a strike of opportunity than a strike of necessity. I mean, there are Post reports that when Netanyahu finally launched a surprise attack on Iran, the decision was not so much driven by new intelligence indicating an Iranian sprint for a nuclear weapon or any imminent threat to Israel. Rather, Israel seized on what it saw as a unique opportunity to execute plans carefully laid months and even years in advance. In other words, the urgency of the attack had nothing to do with brand new intelligence about Iran's nuclear program. Israel just needed a pretext to carry out the attack they had already planned that Netanyahu had been having dreams about for years, and a potentially willing partner in the White House to help them do it. See, Trump wants people to believe that Iran was on the brink of obtaining a nuclear weapon, of having one to use, and that he stopped them just in time by obliterating Iran's nuclear program. He thinks he can tell the American people whatever story he wants, that we're all just going to follow him like the MAGA lemmings do. Not going to read the fine print, not going to learn anymore. The American people can see what's going on. They don't like it. Of course they don't. I mean, a new CNN poll out today finds that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's decision to strike Iran by a 12 point margin. People are not buying what Trump is selling, and it's not just on this one issue. I mean, as Trump stumbles his way through a potential war in the Middle east, he's hoping to clinch a victory at home with the passage of his bill. Big, ugly spending bill, which we haven't talked about enough, but now it's right here in the Senate and there's lots to talk about. Just today, he demanded that Congress not leave town for the 4th of July weekend until the bill is passed. With a very aggressive post, with lots of all caps. But just like his strikes on Iran, the American people don't approve of Trump's signature legislation either. At least five nonpartisan polls taken this month all find Trump's bill is deeply unpopular with the American people, which is not surprising. But Trump's allies in Congress are pushing ahead with it anyway, hoping that maybe no one will notice, no one will read the fine print, that they can just lie their way to getting people on board. I guess I'm not even sure, but here was House Speaker Mike Johnson talking about the bill just today.

Unknown Political Commentator (8:04)

Have said that we are not cutting Medicaid. That is, of course, not true at all. The bill Johnson and House Republicans passed last month would kick 16 million people off of their health insurance, including 7.8 million who currently rely on Medicaid, including many in his own state, his own district. There was some expectation after the bill passed the House that the Senate would somehow soften the legislation, minimize those cuts. But last week, the Senate released their version of the bill, which cuts even deeper into Medicaid than the House version, and that has, sparked, understandably, some panic from many Republicans. NBC News reports that North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis is now warning members of his party that they will lose the midterm elections if they go through with their drastic Medicaid cuts. He has even been circulating this document showing how much money would be cut from Medicaid programs in red states. I don't know what I love more about this document, that it is a very clear, simple breakdown of the impact of the big, ugly bill on Medicaid cuts on multiple swing states. Physically printed out like an old school flyer, bless his heart, or that it was printed and distributed by one of the more vulnerable Republican senators. That doesn't tell you something about this bill. I don't really know what does. Now, at the same time, A group of 16 House Republicans are now circulating a letter to party leaders warning that the Senate's even deeper cuts to Medicaid are a bridge too far. Again, these are Republicans freaking out about the Medicaid cuts in their own bill at the exact same time that Republican leadership is telling us all that there will be no cuts to Medicaid at all. On camera House speaker they seem to have learned from Donald Trump that if they repeat a lie over and over again, people will believe them. That's what they think. It's the kind of the playbook, I guess, that has kind of sort of worked for Trump in the past, it's not working for him now. Definitely doesn't work for his lackeys like Mike Johnson. The big ugly bill really does cut deeply into Medicaid. You don't have to believe me on that. Even take it from the senior Republican senator from North Carolina. Likewise, Trump has not obliterated Iran's nuclear program. And don't take that from me either. Take it from Trump's own intelligence officers. The calls, as they say, are definitely coming from inside the house, many on many topics. Look, we all know these guys have no problem looking straight into a camera and lying to our faces. That's what they do. But increasingly, the truth is getting much harder to ignore. Senator Elizabeth Warren is standing by. She joins me here at the table in just 90 seconds.

Elizabeth Warren (17:22)

Yes, the party line is to lie. And here is our super secret strategy. As Democrats, we're out there trying to tell the truth about what is in this bill. Because when people hear about the bill, when they understand what this bill is about, by about 2 to 1, they said that is a really terrible idea. And that's not just Democrats, that's independents, that's Republicans, people People don't like this. So here is a bill that will take away health care from 16 million Americans. It will close community hospitals and community health centers all around the country. It will cause nursing homes to close. When seniors who rely on that Medicaid to pay for their. For their being able to be in those nursing homes, when that goes away, your neighbor who relies on a wheelchair, who has a home health aide, as they make the cuts, slash the cuts. People all across this country are calling their senators and their Republican senators saying, vote against that bill. So today, at least, the secondhand information is a lot of Republicans stood up at that caucus lunch and said, this is bad. This is bad. And Mitch McConnell told everybody to calm down. Yeah, people don't like this. It's terrible. They're going to lose their health care. But don't worry, they'll get over it. They'll get over it. They'll get over losing their health care. They'll get over the fact that 51,000 people will die from these cuts unnecessarily. People who would have survived. So they're just saying, worry. They'll get over that their grandma was pushed out of a nursing home. They'll get over the fact that their neighbor lost his wheelchair and now has to be in an institution. They'll get over the fact that that little baby was born with complex medical needs and has a million dollars worth of medical bills before she even makes it home and it bankrupts the family. Don't worry, they'll get over it. And I. They will not get over it. The people who are injured by the Republican bill will not get over it. And what they really won't get over is that all of that, all of those cuts, taking away that health care from babies and old people, people with disabilities, is so that the billionaires who sat in the front row at Donald Trump's inauguration and contributed to him, so that they can have a bunch of tax giveaways so that Jeff Bezos can buy a third yacht and buy Venice in order to run a $10 million wedding. This is not who we are as a people. We are better than this. And I think what the Republicans are hearing is from people all across this country, Democrats and Republicans, who are calling in and saying, vote no, stop that bill. Stop that bill. It hasn't become law yet, and we really have a chance to stop them dead in their tracks.

Unknown Political Commentator (23:09)

Today, the New York Times obtained a new whistleblower report Alleging that one of the top prosecutors at the Justice Department, former Trump criminal defense attorney Emil Bovey, told subordinates they might have to defy court orders to enact Trump's deportation agenda. Bovey allegedly told a meeting of DOJ prosecutors that if the court blocked an anticipated deportation flight, they would, quote, need to consider telling the courts, f you and ignore any such order. It wasn't f. You know what I was adding that, quote, the planes needed to take off no matter what. That allegation would be very bad news for Emil Bovey on any day. But tomorrow, he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee because Donald Trump, in his infinite wisdom and respect for the rule of law, has decided to nominate that guy for a lifetime appointment as a federal appeals court judge. Now, I should say. Another top Justice Department official denied the allegations in today's whistleblower report, calling it a false hit piece. Pretty sure that is not going to prevent senators from asking him about it tomorrow. I'm also sure that they will want more answers about his other big scandal this year. In February, Bovey was the Justice Department official tasked with dropping the criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams over alleged bribery and campaign finance fraud. First, Bovey pressured the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York to dismiss the charges. She resigned rather than follow his orders, writing in her resignation letter, because the law does not support a dismissal and because I am confident that Adams has committed the crimes with which he is charged, I cannot agree to seek a dismissal by improper considerations. After that, Booby pressured officials at the Justice Department's Washington headquarters to do it. Five of them refused and resigned. One of them, former Public Integrity Section trial lawyer Ryan Croswell, wrote in his resignation letter, quote, unquote. On February 14, 2025, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bovey directed me and my colleagues at the Public Integrity Section to attend a Microsoft Teams meeting. During that meeting, Mr. Bovey ordered us to identify two trial attorneys to sign a motion to dismiss the indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Bovey alluded to our lower position in the chain of command and suggested that whoever agreed to sign the motion would be rewarded with a position of leadership. He also made clear that there would be professional consequences if the motion was not filed. Does that sound like the kind of behavior that should be rewarded with a lifetime judicial appointment? Doesn't to me. Joining me now is Ryan Croswell, former Justice Department prosecutor with the Public Integrity Section, who resigned rather than dismiss the Eric Adams case. At Emil Bovey's direction, he's now A Democratic candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania. It's great to see you. Running for Congress is not easy at all. Maybe this prepared you and I want to talk about that. I first want to ask you you about the new whistleblower allegations against Bovey, alleging that he told DOJ prosecutors to ignore court orders. You obviously were not there for this, but you have experience at doj, you have experience with Emil Bovey. How credible do you find these allegations?

Unknown Political Commentator (31:11)

And just to clarify this, our number one concern is violent criminals. Your number one concern is violent criminals? Really? Now, here's today's headline from the Guardian. Trump drives surge in ICE detentions of those with no criminal record despite stated priorities. In mid June, ICE data shows that there were more than 11,700 people in immigration detention who had been arrested by ICE despite having no track record of being charged with or convicted of a crime. That represents an almost 1300% increase from before the start of Trump's second term. Now, the driving force behind that staggering increase is none other than White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the man also behind Trump's family separation policy in his first term, and who in Trump version two seems to be ghoulishly obsessed with undocumented immigrants. According to the Wall Street Journal, last month, Miller was the one who gave ICE the marching orders to start conducting mass arrests. He told agents to target places like Home Depot, where migrant day laborers typically gather. Then ICE agents raided Home Depot in Los Angeles, sparking protests all across Los Angeles county and a crackdown involving federalized National Guard troops and active duty Marines. Miller's also the guy who demanded that ice should round up 3,000 people a day, minimum, a quota that has likely caused scenes like this. Brian Gavidia, an American citizen who was pushed up against a metal gate by masked and armed federal agents who demanded to know where Brian was from and ultimately confiscated his real ID because I guess they didn't believe him. Stephen Miller is reportedly the architect of that and so much more of Trump's hardline immigration policy. He is the brains and the soullessness behind it. And though he may be scratching some racist ideological itch here, perhaps he seems to be. Today we learned it also may be about making money. A new report out today from the Project on Government Oversight finds that Miller just so happens to own a significant stake in the data analytics company Palantir, a company that stands to make millions of dollars off of Trump's immigration crackdown. Back in April, the Trump administration granted Palantir a no bid $30 million contract to develop a new program called Immigration that would effectively be able to target and surveil migrants in real time. Now, according to the New York Times, since Trump took office, Palantir has received more than $113 million in federal spending, and it stands to receive at least 775 million more. And Stephen Miller, according to this report, which is based on his own financial disclosure form, owns up to $250,000 in stock. And right now, Palantir is the highest performing company in the S&P 500 this year, the highest performing. Its stock price is up by over 80% in 2025. So far. Palantir did not respond to the Project on Government Oversight's request for comment about Miller's stock ownership. According to the report, Miller's investments in Palantir stock appear to have started after the first Trump administration ended. In the years between Trump's first term and his second, Miller meticulously planned for an unprecedented increase in immigration enforcement. Technically, the Palantir stock is in a brokerage account for one of Miller's young children, but that does not legally matter, according to the Office of Government Ethics, which says an asset that is owned by a minor child is analyzed as if the employee owns it. Don Fox, a former acting head and general counsel of the Office of Government Ethics, said that Miller could easily become involved in policy matters that have a direct and predictable impact on Palantir and thereby his own stock portfolio. No kidding. A White House official told the Project and Government Oversight that Miller has confirmed to White House Ethics officials that he has and will continue to recuse from participating in official matters that could affect those stocks. Okay, then. Not quite sure how that works, given he is the guy behind the crazy immigration policy. But look, the bottom line is this. Stephen Miller is a ghoul who may very well be profiting off of the government position he holds while harming communities and people and families all across the country. If that doesn't perfectly sum up the entire Trump administration, I'm not really sure what does. Coming up, the White House abruptly postpones briefings on those Iran strikes on the same day. An early intelligence report contradicts a lot of what they've been saying for days. Funny how that works. Congressman Jim Himes is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and he joins me next. For as much as the White House is taking a victory lap in the public and in the media after Trump strikes on Iran, they are much less interested in answering questions from members of Congress. No surprise. I mean, the administration was supposed to provide classified briefings for all members today on the strikes, but all of A sudden that got postponed to later in the week. As you might expect, some Democratic leaders are not happy about it.