Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has backed President Trump’s decision to attack Iran following the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent. On Tuesday, Gabbard took to social media to express her support for the president. Gabbard cited President Trump’s decisive 2024 electoral victory as evidence of the American people’s faith in his judgment in foreign policy.
“Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief,” Gabbard said. “As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country.”
Gabbard noted that her agency had provided President Trump with crucial intelligence on the operation, enabling him to assess the threat posed by Iran.
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions,” Gabbard said. “After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.”
Gabbard’s public backing of President Trump came on the heels of a public resignation letter posted on X by National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent. On Tuesday morning, Kent shared that he could not continue to support the war in Iran.
Kent had reportedly pushed back on the determination that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S., which conflicted with the views of others within the Trump administration. In his resignation letter, Kent expressed his respect for President Trump and praised the foreign policy record of his first term, particularly his strategic application of military strength in killing Qasem Soleimani and defeating ISIS. Kent stated that he had been honored to serve in the Trump administration, but urged Trump to reconsider the path forward and end the war with Iran. “The time for bold action is now,” Kent said. “You hold the cards.”
