Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post as director of national intelligence because of her husband’s cancer battle, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
The commander in chief said Principal Deputy DNI Aaron Lukas would take over after Gabbard departs on June 30. Trump described Lukas as “highly respected.”
Trump made the personnel announcement on his social media platform a few minutes before Reuters reported that the White House forced her to step down. The White House slammed that report, which was attributed to “a source familiar with the matter.”
“As the President said, she is stepping aside to ensure that her husband becomes better than ever before,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle wrote on X. “Any suggestion that the White House forced her to resign over her husband’s health is slanderous.”
Trump cited her spouse’s poor health as the reason behind her exit.
