Gabbard Resigns

The Wall Street Journal reports Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as U.S. Intelligence Chief

Tulsi Gabbard resigned Friday as director of national intelligence, capping a tumultuous tenure in which she was largely sidelined from President Trump's national-security operations, including in Venezuela and Iran.

In a letter Friday to Trump later posted on social media, Gabbard says she is resigning because her husband, Abraham Williams, "has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer."

"I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle," Gabbard wrote. Gabbard said her last day would be June 30, staying on temporarily to help ensure "no disruption in leadership or momentum."

Trump, in a social-media post, said, "Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her." He noted that Aaron Lukas, Gabbard's deputy, would serve as the acting director.

Gabbard's departure comes as Trump is considering fresh strikes on Iran if mediators don't reach a deal to end Tehran's nuclear work, or at least extend the cease-fire to hold more discussions. Trump's national security team has faced upheaval as he has relied on a small circle of aides to prosecute the unpopular war.

The deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael Ellis, is a front-runner for the job to permanently replace Gabbard, two people familiar with the matter said. Others are still being considered, one of the people said, noting Trump will make the final pick. Becoming director of national intelligence requires Senate confirmation. Among the other names Trump allies publicly floated for the post was Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.).

Gabbard wasn't a significant part of conversations about the Iran war before it began in February, officials previously told The Wall Street Journal. She often diverged from administration talking points about the war, saying the U.S. and Israel had differing objectives and that Tehran made no efforts to rebuild its nuclear program since American attacks on three nuclear sites last year.

In recent months, Gabbard has spent time pursuing theories of voter fraud in the 2020 election at Trump's behest, according to administration officials; she showed up at a Fulton County, Ga., election center where Federal Bureau of Investigation agents seized voting machines earlier this year. (Audits and recounts commissioned by state and local officials in the aftermath of the 2020 contest found no evidence of widespread tampering or fraud.)