WASHINGTON — Tulsi Gabbard resigned as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence on Friday, citing her husband’s health. She is the fourth Cabinet official to depart during Trump’s second term.
Gabbard had served as the eighth director of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence since 2025, and was in the role for a total of 15 months.
During her term, she oversaw the declassification and release of over half a million pages of government records, including files related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and former Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Gabbard informed Trump in her resignation letter that she intends to step down on June 30.
She said her husband had recently been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.â€
“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,†she wrote in the letter. The news of her resignation was first reported by Fox News.
Gabbard also shared a note on the social media platform x:
She previously served as Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district U.S. representative, and was in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Raised primarily in Honolulu, she was the first person of Samoan and Hindu American descent to become a member of U.S Congress.
Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
