The Director of National Intelligence has resigned. Although rumors have been rife that this might happen, the director has repeatedly denied such plans.
Tulsi Gabbard, who became the US Director of National Intelligence in 2025, has announced her intention to resign. She said on Friday, the 22nd of this month, that she will work until June 30, 2026.
Reason for Gabbard’s Resignation
In her letter to US President Donald Trump, Gabbard cited her husband’s ill health as the reason for her resignation.
She noted that her husband, Abraham Williams, has been very supportive of her for many years. She said he has been her rock during the years of demanding careers.
As such, she should support him as he goes through the healing process. She disclosed that her husband was ailing from a rare type of bone cancer.
Williams is a cinematographer. He and his wife, Gabbard, met in 2012 when she was running for Congress from Hawaii.
President Trump’s Response
President Trump accepted Gabbard’s resignation letter with grace. He immediately praised her on his social media account. In his words, Tulsi Gabbard has done a “great job” as Director of Intelligence.
Saying how much the administration will miss her, the president underlined that Tulsi Gabbard had done “an incredible job”.
The nature of Gabbard’s resignation is different from that of Pam Bondi, former Attorney General. Bondi resigned last month due to work-related frustrations.
Gabbard has a history of serving in the National Guard. She was born in 1981 and joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003.
Meanwhile, President Trump has pinpointed the Principal Deputy Director of Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, to take over from Gabbard.