Despite Trump’s public statements, reports of a Gabbard ouster persist

Reports this week emerged that President Donald Trump is weighing the replacement of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard amid fallout from the Iran war, marking a stark contrast with the president’s public statements on his intel chief.Trump reportedly polled Cabinet officials over the past few weeks about the prospect of replacing Gabbard, according to the Guardian, which cited “two people briefed on the discussions.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), however, appeared to push back on that report.
“Over the past two weeks, President Trump said both that he has confidence in the DNI and that she did well at her hearings before Congress,” an ODNI spokesperson told Just the News. “She remains committed to fulfilling the responsibilities the President placed in her to protect the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.”
Prior to assuming office, Gabbard was a vocal critic of foreign adventurism and wars in the Middle East. She has been comparatively silent on the Iran war and speculation has abounded that she and the president are not in step on the conflict. Reportedly motivating some of the inquiry was Gabbard’s support of former National Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent, who left his post last month, citing his opposition to the Iran war and belief that the U.S. entered the conflict on behalf of Israel.
A source familiar with the matter disputed the Guardian’s account of Gabbard’s support for Kent, highlighting her testimony before Congress in which she acknowledged she found some of Kent’s statements on the war concerning. Trump himself told reporters he believed that Gabbard “did a good job” during her appearance before Congress.
Notably, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump had mulled firing Gabbard in late March, shortly after Kent’s resignation.
“Not to my knowledge. That’s a question for the president — but I haven’t heard him say that at all,” she said.
Late last month, reports of Gabbard possibly resigning in protest of the war, drew scrutiny from administration officials, with one source telling the Daily Mail that “[e]verybody turns their guns on Tulsi, and that’s just not representative of what’s really going on in the administration.”
The reports come as Trump also weighs firing Attorney General Pam Bondi and reportedly replacing her with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. Neither move has been confirmed.
Trump has been comparatively hesitant to fire Cabinet officials relative to his first term, though he sacked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem last month. Bondi and Gabbard’s ousters would mark a substantial escalation of his restaffing plans.
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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