'Iran-skeptic' Tulsi Gabbard quits as US director of national intelligence
Trump has hinted in the past at differences with Gabbard on their approach to Iran
Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her job as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence.
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The intelligence chief said her husband's cancer diagnosis was behind the decision to step back.
She confirmed her resignation will take effect on June 30.
In her resignation letter posted on X, she said: "I am 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.
I am deeply grateful for the trust President Trump placed in me and for the opportunity to lead @ODNIgov for the last year and a half.
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) May 22, 2026
Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare… pic.twitter.com/PS0Dxp5zpd
"Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. 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 added: "I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position."
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Tulsi Gabbard's deputy, Aaron Lukas, would become the acting director of national intelligence after she leaves the administration on June 30.
"Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her," Trump said in a Truth Social post in which he attributed Gabbard's impending departure to the illness of her husband.
Gabbard advised Trump of her intention to step down during an Oval Office meeting on Friday, Fox News Digital reported earlier. The resignation is effective June 30, it said.
A person familiar with the matter reportedly said on Friday the White House forced the U.S. intelligence official to resign from her post,.
Trump has hinted in the past at differences with Gabbard on their approach to Iran, saying in March that she was "softer" than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.