Tulsi Gabbard has resigned as the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), saying she needed to step away as her husband battles cancer.
“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” Gabbard wrote in her resignation letter, which she posted on X. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”
US President Donald Trump hailed Gabbard after she made the announcement.
“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump said on his Truth Social network, adding that her deputy, Aaron Lukas, would serve as acting Director of National Intelligence.
There had been rumblings that Gabbard would split with Trump after the administration’s decision to strike Iran.
Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation in March, saying he “cannot in good conscience” support the war.
During a congressional hearing in March, Tulsi’s measured comments were notable for their careful non-endorsement of the war in Iran.
Gabbard said in written remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that there had been no effort by Iran to rebuild its nuclear capability after US attacks last year “obliterated” its nuclear programme.
“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” she said.
Surprising choice
Gabbard was a surprising choice to head the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.
