Tulsi Gabbard Steps Down as Trump’s National Intelligence Director

(SeaPRwire) –   On Friday, Tulsi Gabbard declared her resignation from her post as President Trump’s leading intelligence officer, stating she needs to assist her husband in dealing with a rare type of bone cancer. Her official departure from the Trump cabinet is set for June 30.

“My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” Gabbard stated in a resignation letter shared online by Trump on Friday. “At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.” Abraham Williams, Gabbard’s husband, works as a photographer in Hawaii, her home state.

Gabbard is stepping down from her role as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence while the President remains engaged in a conflict with Iran, a war where Gabbard’s support had been scrutinized. Following Trump’s military strikes on Iran in February, her public comments regarding intelligence evaluations differed from Trump’s portrayal of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. She refrained from from endorsing Trump’s view that Iran’s nuclear program presented an immediate nuclear threat.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump remarked that Gabbard “has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.” According to Trump, Aaron Lukas, Gabbard’s deputy, is set to assume the role of acting director.

From 2017 to 2021, Gabbard spent eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Hawaii as a Democrat. She initially gained prominence in the Democratic Party due to her vocal skepticism regarding U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts. She stirred controversy by opposing U.S. military intervention in the Syrian civil war and meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in 2017. Over time, she became known for adopting policy stances that mirrored Russian propaganda.

Gabbard sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. In the fall of 2022, she exited the Democratic Party, accusing it of “anti-white racism” and being “hostile to people of faith and spirituality.” Subsequently, she offered her endorsement to Trump in the 2024 election.

A veteran of the National Guard, Gabbard currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. She has completed three deployments to the Middle East and Africa.

Trump’s nomination of Gabbard drew criticism from the intelligence community, citing both her record of controversial stances and her limited experience in intelligence matters. During her eight-year tenure in Congress, she never sat on the House intelligence Committee.