Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota sits on both the Senate Armed Services and intelligence committees.

He and other senators were briefed a short time ago by CIA director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and General Dan Cain, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Senator Rounds, welcome back to the News Hour. Thanks for being with us.

Thank you.

Appreciate the opportunity to visit with you.

I just want to play for you.

The takeaway that your Democratic colleague,

Senator Chris Murphy, had after that briefing you were at as well and then get your reaction.

Here's what Senator Murphy had to say.

I just do not think the president was telling the truth

when he said this program was obliterated.

They're certainly damaged under the program, but there is the significant, there's still significant

remaining capability.

Senator Rounds, do you believe that that is true?

There's still significant remaining capability?

It's not the way that I

would phrase it. I think you'd have to break it down into the different components that make up the

threat. I do think that the threat has been very seriously eliminated. I think the vast majority of

it has been, as I would say, targeted and correctly hit.

The guys that did the mission did it exactly as they were supposed to.

And I think what they wanted to accomplish with their mission.

They did accomplish.

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