Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) did not mince words in his response to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's resignation on Friday, calling it the “only positive contribution” she made to national security during her controversial tenure.
In a statement posted on X, Schiff took aim at the outgoing intelligence chief just hours after her departure was announced. “While the circumstances around her departure are deserving of our sympathy, let’s be clear: Tulsi Gabbard’s only positive contribution to our nation’s national security is her resignation,” he wrote.
The California Democrat accused Gabbard of politicizing the intelligence community and undermining national security, pointing to her role in federal investigations tied to unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. “She dismantled critical agencies keeping Americans safe. She weaponized the IC to pursue baseless election fraud claims. And more,” Schiff added.
Gabbard’s tenure was marked by controversy. She was present at an FBI raid of a Georgia election office in Fulton County, where agents seized records related to the 2020 election. Gabbard maintained that her presence was at the direct request of President Trump. She also alleged that officials in the Obama administration fabricated evidence about Russian interference in the 2016 election and accused Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of using false information to build a media narrative that led to Trump’s first impeachment.
Schiff, who had long opposed Gabbard’s nomination, warned that her leadership represented a dangerous precedent. “We must ensure that her tenure — marked by a devotion to the person of the president and not to the security of the country — represents a terrible exception at DNI and not the new normal,” he said.
During her confirmation hearing, Schiff had questioned her qualifications, telling the panel, “It’s a job that requires judgment. It requires experience. It requires a high degree of trust. Yet, the nominee before us is stunningly lacking in all of these qualities.”
Gabbard’s resignation is part of a broader shakeup in the Trump administration. She is the fourth Cabinet member to step down, following former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Top counterterror official Joe Kent also resigned in March over disagreements with U.S. policy on Iran.
As the administration reshuffles, attention is turning to potential successors. Some Republicans have already begun floating alternatives, with Representative Banks backing Stefanik for the DNI role after Gabbard’s exit.
