Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence, citing her husband’s health

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, resigned on June 30, citing her husband’s battle with a rare form of bone cancer. In a resignation letter posted on social media, Gabbard stated she needed to step away to support her husband through treatment, marking her departure as the fourth Cabinet official to leave Trump’s administration during his second term. Aaron Lukas, Gabbard’s principal deputy, will serve as acting director of national intelligence. Lukas previously worked as an intelligence aide to the acting director of national intelligence, Ric Grenell, in 2020, and held roles at the Cato Institute and the National Security Council during Trump’s prior administration. Gabbard’s resignation follows tensions within the administration over Trump’s decision to strike Iran in February, which sparked division. She had previously opposed foreign wars during her career as a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, creating a conflict of interest in her role as Trump’s intelligence chief. During a March congressional hearing, Gabbard avoided endorsing the Iran strike, stating that assessing an ‘imminent threat’ was not the intelligence community’s responsibility. Her departure comes after Trump ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in late March amid leadership criticism. Earlier, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned over Justice Department controversies and misconduct investigations, respectively. Gabbard’s tenure as director of national intelligence was notable for her lack of prior intelligence experience, though she brought a background in military service and political leadership. Her resignation underscores ongoing challenges for Trump’s administration in retaining key officials amid policy disputes and internal scrutiny.