Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down from her position as Director of National Intelligence, citing her husband’s recent bone cancer diagnosis. In a resignation letter obtained by Fox News — the network that helped shape the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii into a conservative darling — Gabbard wrote that she was “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.”
“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” Gabbard wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” and “I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.”
Abraham’s “strength and love have sustained me through every challenge. I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position,” she added.
In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump wrote that “unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration,” and that she should “rightfully” spend time caring for her husband. “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her.”
Trump announced that Aaron Lukas, the current Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, will step in as acting Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard’s tenure as the head of America’s intelligence apparatus was already on shaky ground. A self-described anti-war hawk, Gabbard had receded into the background of the Cabinet as Trump’s foreign policy escalated into interventionism in the Americas, and outright war against Iran.
While Gabbard may have swallowed her discomfort with Trump’s war of choice, her time in the administration will be marked by her unwavering commitment to enabling the president’s vendetta against his own intelligence agencies, and her use of her office to advance the conspiracies espoused by the president. Gabbard fired intelligence agents who debunked Trump’s claims that the Maduro regime was controlling the operations of Venezuelan-connected organized crime group in the United States, participated in an FBI raid of elections offices in Fulton County, Georgia, and supported Trump’s call to have ex-Obama officials prosecuted over the 2016 Russian election interference investigation.
Gabbard is the fourth Trump Cabinet official to leave their role in recent months, joining former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
