Trump’s Art of the Memorandum & The White House–FISA Bluff

Donald Trump
Donald Trump in New York City, June 2026. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
June 15, 2026

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Republicans on Capitol Hill are staying notably quiet about Trump’s newly announced “memorandum of understanding” with Iran—a conspicuous downgrade from the president’s earlier characterization of the arrangement as a “peace deal.” With gas prices and the midterms potentially on the line, they are eager for positive news—but they also know better than to get over their skis while everyone awaits more details. As of Monday afternoon, there are no planned briefings for Congress, and the Hill doesn’t expect to learn more until after the documentation is released. “We will continue our long history of extraordinary levels of transparency with the Hill, as we maintained throughout the course of this conflict,” a White House official told me.