Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down as director of national intelligence, ending a contentious tenure marked by her exclusion from major foreign policy decisions and her unconventional path to one of government's most sensitive roles.
In a resignation letter Friday, Gabbard announced she would leave the post on June 30. She cited her husband Abraham's recent diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer as the reason for her departure, writing that she needed to step away from public service to support him through his treatment.
The White House pushed Gabbard out, according to Reuters, though a spokesperson for her office denied reports of a forced resignation, calling such claims "100% false."
Gabbard's downfall reflected deeper tensions with Trump. The former Democratic congresswoman lacked intelligence community credentials and held foreign policy views that sometimes clashed with the president's approach, especially regarding military intervention overseas. Yet she had worked hard to align herself with Trump's priorities, pledging to purge what she called politicization from the intelligence agencies and embracing his election denial agenda.
That positioning proved insufficient. Over recent months, Trump increasingly sidelined her from critical national security discussions involving Iran and Venezuela, according to people with knowledge of her office. The president had even asked cabinet members last month whether he should replace her.
Trump announced Gabbard's departure on his Truth Social platform Friday, saying she "has done an incredible job, and we will miss her." He did not address the circumstances that prompted her exit. Aaron Lukas, principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting director.
Author James Rodriguez: "Gabbard's fall shows that even Trump loyalists can't survive the chaos of this White House when they lack the clout or the insider status to weather the storms."
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