Tulsi Gabbard is leaving her post as US director of national intelligence after a rocky tenure in which she was sidelined from key operations, including strikes on Iran and the seizure of Venezuela's president. The White House forced her resignation, according to Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Gabbard said she would resign effective 30 June. Trump confirmed her departure on Truth Social, praising her work but announcing that Aaron Lukas, principal deputy director, would serve as acting director.
Gabbard's marginalisation became evident last June when Trump endorsed Israel's attack on Iran, contradicting her testimony that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. She later sought to regain favour by calling for the prosecution of Barack Obama and other officials over alleged Russian interference claims.
This year, she sparked controversy by appearing at an FBI raid on 2020 election ballots, an unusual move for an intelligence chief. She was excluded from decisions on Venezuela and Iran operations, raising doubts about her qualifications for overseeing 18 intelligence agencies.
Democratic senators criticised her tenure. Mark Warner urged her successor to restore trust and independence, while Adam Schiff said her only contribution was her resignation, accusing her of politicising intelligence and pursuing baseless election fraud claims.
