Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Director of National Intelligence

Gabbard met with the president in the Oval Office to present her resignation letter, according to a source close to Gabbard. Gabbard’s departure follows months in which she was excluded from several major foreign policy meetings. On New Year’s Day she was in Hawaii when national security officials gathered at Mar-a-Lago to monitor a U.S. operation in Venezuela.

Before last summer’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, she posted a video warning of nuclear risk that drew White House criticism.

A source familiar with the matter said Trump asked Gabbard before the strikes whether she would resign if military action proceeded; she replied that she would not. Gabbard’s relationship with Ratcliffe was described by multiple sources as strained.

She objected at times to CIA personnel on her security detail, though a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated she removed only one member for performance reasons and trusts her protective team.

While sidelined from some international decisions, Gabbard pursued several domestic matters aligned with Trump’s priorities. She declassified documents related to the 2016 Russian election interference assessment and released material she said showed the Obama administration manufactured evidence.

She also traveled to Georgia in January when FBI agents collected 2020 election ballots in Fulton County. Gabbard testified to Congress in March 2025 that Iran was not actively seeking a nuclear weapon, a statement that contradicted assessments from U.S. and Israeli officials.

Trump publicly disagreed with her assessment days before ordering strikes on Iranian sites. ” A source close to Gabbard said the president’s personal regard for her contributed to her remaining in the post despite policy differences.