Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday that she is stepping down as Director of National Intelligence in order to care for her husband following his diagnosis with what she described as “an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard informed President Donald Trump of her decision during a meeting in the Oval Office earlier in the day. Her resignation will officially take effect on June 30.

In a resignation letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Gabbard thanked Trump for entrusting her with the leadership of the nation’s intelligence apparatus over the past year and a half.

“I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.”

She then formally announced her departure from the administration.

“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard said the diagnosis has created an urgent personal situation requiring her full attention in the months ahead.

“My husband faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”

“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she said.

In her letter, Gabbard praised her husband for standing beside her throughout her military and political career, calling him a constant source of support during some of the most difficult periods of her life.

“Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role.”

“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she continued. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”

President Trump later responded publicly to the announcement in a post on Truth Social, praising Gabbard’s work in the administration and expressing confidence that her husband would recover.

“Unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration on June 30th.”

“Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him, bringing him back to good health as they currently fight a tough battle together,” he continued. “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her. Her highly respected Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”

Gabbard said she is proud of the changes made during her tenure at ODNI but acknowledged that work remains unfinished.

“I have made significant progress at the ODNI — advancing unprecedented transparency and restoring integrity to the intelligence community,” she said, while noting that “there is still important work to be done.”

She pledged to help facilitate an orderly transition before leaving office.

“I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth and thorough transition over the coming weeks so that you and your team experience no disruption in leadership or momentum.”

She concluded her letter by thanking both Trump and the American public.

“Thank you for your understanding during this deeply personal and difficult time for our family.”

“I will remain forever grateful to you and to the American people for the profound honor of serving our nation as DNI.”

Later Friday, Gabbard shared the resignation letter publicly on X, writing that “It has been a profound honor to serve the American people as DNI.”

During her tenure, Gabbard led a sweeping restructuring effort within the intelligence community, overseeing significant reductions in staffing levels and initiatives she said would save taxpayers more than $700 million annually. Her office also dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs throughout the intelligence agencies.

This month, Gabbard ordered the declassification of more than 500,000 pages of federal documents, including records connected to the Trump-Russia investigation as well as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

She also authorized the release of records tied to the origins of the Trump-Russia “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, arguing the documents demonstrated that Obama administration officials politicized intelligence regarding Russia’s 2016 election interference in an effort to weaken Trump after his first presidential victory.

Among her other initiatives, Gabbard established the federal government’s first “Weaponization Working Group,” which was designed to coordinate investigations into what the administration described as the Biden administration’s misuse of federal agencies against political opponents.

Under Gabbard’s leadership, the National Counterterrorism Center also intensified efforts targeting narco-terrorism. According to the administration, the agency blocked more than 10,000 individuals tied to narco-terrorism from entering the United States during 2025 and added more than 85,000 others with similar connections to the federal terror watchlist.

{Matzav.com}