Tulsi Gabbard has resigned as head of US intelligence, citing her husband's recent cancer diagnosis. An opponent of foreign US interventions, Gabbard has sought to distance herself from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Gabbard, 45, advised Trump of her intention to step down during a meeting in the Oval Office. Her resignation is set to take effect on June 30.
In her resignation letter, which she also posted on social media, Gabbard told Trump she was "deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me … for the last year and a half," but said she had to "step away from public service" in order to support her husband.
Accepting Gabbard's resignation, Trump said, "Tulsi has done an incredible job and we will miss her," adding that her deputy, Aaron Lukas, would serve as acting Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard's opposition to foreign wars Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, built her political name on her opposition to United States involvement in foreign wars, putting her at odds with Trump when the US and Israel went to war against Iran on February 28.
Her comments to a congressional hearing in March were notable for their careful non-endorsement of Trump's decision to attack Iran. She repeatedly dodged questions about whether the White House had been warned of potential fallout from a conflict, including Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat," she claimed, an interpretation of her role as director of national intelligence that raised eyebrows.
"While we have made significant progress, advancing unprecedented transparency and restoring integrity to the intelligence community, I recognize that there is still important work to be done," she wrote in her resignation letter. "I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth and thorough transition over the coming weeks." Edited by: Sean Sinico
