Tulsi Gabbard has resigned from her job as President Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence, citing personal reasons.
In her resignation letter, Mrs Gabbard told Trump she was "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 cited her husband's recent diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer.
Her deputy, Aaron Lukas, would become the acting Director of National Intelligence after she leaves the administration on June 30.
Taking to Truth Social, President Trump said: "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.
"I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her."
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has resigned from her role
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In her resignation letter, Mrs Gabbard said: "I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming post."
A source familiar with the matter said that Mrs Gabbard had been forced out by the White House.
President Trump has hinted in the past at differences with Mrs Gabbard on their approach to Iran, saying in March that she was "softer" than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
She had advised President Trump of her intention to step down during an Oval Office meeting earlier today, reports Fox News.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has now resigned
| REUTERSMrs Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, made history when she became the first American Samoan and practicing Hindu in Congress.
At the 2020 Presidential Election, she ran to be the Democrat's candidate, positioning herself as an Iraq War veteran with an anti-interventionist foreign policy, gaining the vocal support of veteran socialist senator, Bernie Sanders.
She then quit the party two years later before formally endorsing Mr Trump in 2024.
Mrs Gabbard joined the GOP before the 2024 election and served on Mr Trump’s transition team after he won.
Tulsi Gabbard alongside Donald Trump in August 2024
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Mrs Gabbard becomes the fourth person to leave President Donald Trump's cabinet, following the resignations of Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer.
She was seen by some within the GOP as a controversial figure in President Trump's close circle.
Mrs Gabbard was rarely seen in the room when President Trump made important national-security moves.
She was widely viewed within the administration and by lawmakers in Congress as not a key member of the President’s national-security team.