Gabbard’s departure as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence comes as he remains mired in a war with Iran for which Gabbard’s support was questioned. After Trump launched attacks against Iran in February, her public statements about intelligence assessments conflicted with Trump’s description of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. She stopped short of agreeing with Trump that Iran’s nuclear program posed an imminent nuclear threat.
Writing on Truth Social, President Trump said Gabbard “has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.” Aaron Lukas, Gabbard’s deputy, will take over as acting director, Trump said.
Gabbard served eight years representing Hawaii as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. She first rose to political prominence within the Democratic Party over her outspoken skepticism of U.S. entanglements in foreign wars. She courted controversy when she opposed the U.S. military intervening in the Syrian civil war, and in 2017, met in person with Bashar Assad, Syria’s then dictator. She gained a reputation for taking public policy positions that echoed Russian propaganda.
Ref: https://time.com/article/2026/05/22/tulsi-gabbard-to-resign-as-trump-s-director-of-national-intelligence/
