Was Congress "Fully Briefed" on Bush's Warrantless Wiretaps? Bush and other Republicans have frequently made the argument that "Congress" was fully briefed on the Warrantless Wiretap program. Although this wouldn't change the illegal nature of the program, that statement is also totally false. The Washington Post says it best, so I'll leave it to them: Bush and his top aides have repeatedly stressed that "Congress" had been briefed on the program over the past four years, but have often neglected to mention that the briefings were limited to the "Gang of Eight": the speaker and minority leader of the House; the majority and minority leaders of the Senate; and the chairmen and ranking Democrats on the two intelligence committees. And they were barred from taking notes or discussing what they heard with other lawmakers or their staffs.