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Director of National Intelligence to Step Down June 30
Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation as director of national intelligence effective June 30 to care for her husband, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. President Trump named her deputy as acting director during the transition.
May 22, 5:00 PM·2m read1 source
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Tulsi Gabbard said Friday she will resign as director of national intelligence effective June 30. In a letter to President Trump, she cited her husband's recent diagnosis with an extremely rare form of bone cancer as the reason for stepping aside. "My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.
He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle," she said. Gabbard added that she is committed to a smooth transition over the coming weeks.
President Trump stated on Truth Social that she "has done an incredible job" and named Aaron Lukas, her deputy at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as acting director.
Gabbard was sworn in during February 2025 after serving as a Democratic lawmaker who endorsed President Trump in 2024. She had previously opposed military intervention in Iran and testified before Congress that it is up to the president to determine what constitutes an imminent threat.
Her top aide at the National Counterterrorism Center resigned in March after stating Iran posed no imminent threat. Gabbard told lawmakers the statement concerned her but said the office had provided the president with intelligence assessments. Before U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025, President Trump said Gabbard was "wrong" when she testified that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
Gabbard later accused media outlets of taking her testimony out of context.
Gabbard announced last summer plans to cut her office's staff by around 40 percent, reducing headcount to about 1,300 and saving an estimated $700 million annually. She described the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as bloated and inefficient.
Gabbard is the fourth Cabinet member to leave the administration this year. Her departure leaves an opening in the role overseeing the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community during the ongoing war with Iran. A Republican lawmaker who chairs the House Intelligence Committee said Gabbard made significant progress on reforms addressing weaponization and politicization of the intelligence community.
