U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post, apparently because of her husband’s medical condition, Fox News reported Friday evening. However, a source familiar with the matter later told Reuters that Gabbard “was forced to resign.”
According to the Fox News report, Gabbard informed President Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting that she planned to step down at the end of June, after her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. In her resignation letter to Trump, Gabbard explained her decision, writing: “At this time, I must step away from public service in order to stand by his side and fully support him in this fight.”
Gabbard has served in the role for the past year and a half, leading efforts to cut budgets, declassify documents and implement structural changes within the U.S. intelligence community.
Her resignation comes after Trump dismissed several senior administration officials, most notably Attorney General Pam Bondi, and amid recent reports that Gabbard herself could also be targeted. Following Bondi’s dismissal last month, Reuters reported that Trump had expressed dissatisfaction with Gabbard and had consulted advisers about possible replacements.
Gabbard has been a consistent opponent of U.S. military intervention abroad. Last June, ahead of the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities as part of Operation Rising Lion, she angered the White House with a video criticizing what she called the “elitist war establishment.”