Washington — Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she will resign as director of national intelligence, saying she must step away from the role to care for her husband after his recent diagnosis with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. In a letter to President Trump, Gabbard said her resignation will be effective June 30.
Gabbard wrote that her husband, Abraham, has been her rock throughout their 11-year marriage, which has included a military deployment, multiple political campaigns and her service in the Trump administration. She said he faces major medical challenges in the coming weeks and months and that she cannot in good conscience ask him to face that fight alone while she remains in a demanding, time-consuming position.
She added that she is committed to ensuring a smooth, thorough transition over the coming weeks. President Trump posted praise for Gabbard on Truth Social, saying she had done an incredible job, and named Aaron Lukas, Gabbard’s deputy at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to serve as acting director in the interim.
The resignation was first reported by Fox News. Gabbard is the fourth Cabinet-level official to leave the administration this year, following Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Her departure creates a vacancy in a key post overseeing the U.S. intelligence community at a time of heightened tensions and ongoing conflict with Iran.
This is a developing story and updates may follow.