Policy Rift Over War: US DNI Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Trump Administration Faces Cabinet Turbulence

The United States’ Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has officially resigned from the administration of President Donald Trump amid growing signs of a rift within the cabinet over the Iran conflict and Washington’s foreign policy. Gabbard announced her resignation on Friday, saying she wanted to focus on supporting her husband as he battles a rare bone cancer. But behind these personal reasons, differences with Trump over the Iran conflict have long been said to have fuelled tensions within the White House’s inner circle. In the resignation letter posted on social media, Gabbard said she would leave the role overseeing the coordination of eighteen U.S. intelligence agencies, effective from 30 June. ‘At this moment, I must leave public service to be by his side and fully support his fight against this disease,’ Gabbard wrote. Trump responded to the resignation by praising Gabbard’s performance during her tenure. ‘Tulsi has done an outstanding job, and we will miss her,’ Trump wrote on social media. Trump also appointed Aaron Lukas as acting Director of National Intelligence to replace Gabbard. Although the resignation was described as for family reasons, several observers said Gabbard’s position had become increasingly untenable after Washington’s decision to join Israel in launching an attack on Iran, as reported by several news agencies in the United States. Gabbard, a former member of Congress from Hawaii and a U.S. military veteran, has long been known as an anti-interventionist figure who has strongly resisted U.S. overseas wars. This stance has put her on a collision course with Trump and hawkish factions within the U.S. administration on several occasions. The tensions became apparent after the U.S. attack on Iran raised concerns of a major escalation in the Middle East, including a threat to close the Hormuz Strait, a vital conduit for global oil supply. In a congressional hearing in March, Gabbard repeatedly dodged questions about whether the intelligence community had warned the White House about the potential consequences of a war with Iran.