Where is Tulsi Gabbard? Intelligence director out of loop in Donald Trump’s Iran talks
The Pentagon revealed Thursday that President Trump’s airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were based on intelligence gathered over 15 years. But one major figure was oddly not present before or after the attacks was Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wasn’t at Thursday’s classified briefing to Congress where Ratcliffe walked lawmakers through the details of the Saturday strike.(via REUTERS)
Gabbard, once a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and known for opposing US military action in the Middle East, did not appear for several high-level meetings. Now, questions are growing over whether she’s being pushed aside while CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who used to hold her current post, seems to take a more central role, as per New York Post report.
Gabbard, 44, skipped Thursday’s classified briefing to Congress where Ratcliffe walked lawmakers through the details of the Saturday strike. She also didn’t attend a June 8 strategy meeting at Camp David, where Trump worked through his Iran plan with top officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Sources told Fox News she wasn’t invited.
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Gabbard posted a video warning about nuclear war
Two days after that meeting, Gabbard posted a video warning about nuclear war. Someone close to the administration stated it came off as “fear-mongering,” possibly aimed at criticizing the strike.
The source said, “That narrative played directly into the hands of those who did not support the president’s then-upcoming bold decision to obliterate Tehran’s nuclear program.”
Another administration official said, “She’s been wrong on the big stuff,” as reported by the Post.
Trump, meanwhile, didn’t seem too worried about her take. On June 17, while flying on Air Force One, he brushed off her assessment that Iran wasn’t close to making a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” Trump said.
Here’s why Tulsi Gabbard backed Trump
Gabbard had endorsed Trump last year, mostly because she agreed with his foreign policy views. She had long criticized both Democratic and Republican hawks who pushed for regime change.
While running for president in 2020, she launched “No War With Iran” t-shirts, just two days after Trump took out Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Still, people inside the administration don’t believe Gabbard is on her way out. One White House staffer who saw her Friday before she met with Trump in the Oval Office said there was no tension, calling the rumors about her being sidelined “bogus.”
Also Read: ‘Should be prosecuted’: Donald Trump lashes out after Pentagon intel leak on Iran nuclear strikes
Tulsi Gabbard was present with Trump in the situation room
In fact, Gabbard was in the situation room with Trump during Saturday’s strike. According to sources, Trump actually values some disagreement among his advisers, especially when it comes to global affairs.
Some insiders think her influence might shrink as Ratcliffe, a former GOP lawmaker from Texas, takes on a bigger role in shaping intelligence policy.
At the same time, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is attempting to slash Gabbard’s staff from 1,600 down to 650, a senior Senate aide told NBC News.
Trump hasn’t been quick to remove people from his team in 2025. The only cabinet shake-up so far has been former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz moving to the United Nations, after he accidentally added a reporter to a Signal group chat discussing airstrikes in Yemen.
