The abrupt resignation announcement made by DNI head Tulsi Gabbard on Friday, going into Memorial Day weekend, will decrease a substantial amount of tension inside and outside the White House.
That is according to MS NOW national security expert, Marc Polymeropoulos, who spoke with host Chris Jansing by phone moments after the news broke.
According to the 26-year CIA veteran, Gabbard long ago “lost Donald Trump’s ear” and had been iced out of important security meetings, losing out in influence to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, writing, “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. Her highly respected Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
According to Polymeropoulos, there is more to the departure than Gabbard’s husband’s illness, in large part about suspicions about Gabbard’s loyalties.
“But, you know, this this is really going to be just a story of an individual who had this kind of very interesting rise within U.S. politics, certainly switched sides to the Republican side over to President Trump,” he noted. “But ultimately, at the end of the day, could never kind of reconcile her opposition to ever invading Iran, to never-ending wars with Trump, going forward with it.”
He added, “And again, loss of access means you just have no more influence, and you can't have the intelligence chief of the U.S. government not in the same room with the president. That was just an untenable situation. I think probably a lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief because this just was not working.”