Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down as US director of national intelligence, ending a contentious tenure marked by her sidelining from major policy decisions and a public clash with President Donald Trump over Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Gabbard submitted her resignation letter Friday, citing June 30 as her departure date. The White House forced the decision, according to reporting, though initial public accounts attributed her exit to her husband's cancer diagnosis.
Her fall from influence began last June when Trump endorsed Israel's military strikes against Iran, then ordered US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities. The moves directly contradicted Gabbard's earlier congressional testimony asserting that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons. Trump compounded the humiliation by publicly dismissing her assessment as wrong and saying her views did not matter to him.
The rebuke left Gabbard scrambling to rehabilitate her standing. Within weeks, she pivoted sharply, calling for the prosecution of former President Barack Obama and senior national security officials from his administration. She alleged they had orchestrated a "treasonous conspiracy" to falsely portray Russian interference in the 2016 election as benefiting Trump. Obama denied the claims, which appeared designed to align with the president's stated appetite for retribution against political adversaries.
Trump had already been quietly canvassing cabinet members about replacing Gabbard before the formal announcement. His Friday statement on Truth Social attempted to salvage appearances, praising her performance while confirming her departure. Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, will assume the acting director role.
The departure caps a difficult assignment for Gabbard, whose influence had diminished as Trump pursued aggressive foreign policy moves without her input or apparent endorsement. Her inability to either shape decisions or remain in the president's favor proved untenable.
Author James Rodriguez: "Gabbard's exit shows how quickly political capital evaporates when you publicly disagree with Trump, especially on matters he cares about."
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