Democrats, the media were criticized for attacking Gabbard after the news of her husband’s cancer
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Democrats and media professionals are facing criticism for the “inappropriate” response to Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation as Director of National Intelligence following her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Tony Kinnett, national correspondent for the Daily Signal, announced the political pivot.
“The ecosystem of social media, a lot of analysis and the punditry sphere, is about coming out and saying something bitter as soon as the news breaks,” Kinnett said, arguing that the attacks reflect “the way most of these people’s characters are portrayed.”
Gabbard’s last day as Director of National Intelligence is expected to be June 30. Fox News Digital obtained her official resignation letter, in which she said she was “very grateful” for the opportunity but noted that her husband, Abraham, “was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.”
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appears during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats on March 19, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But some members of the media and the Democratic Party criticized Gabbard following her decision to leave office.
Guests on CNN aimed to treat Gabbard, with former DNI Deputy Beth Sanner offering her condolences before saying her DNI name stands for “Don’t Invite.”
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Democratic lawmakers offered similar sentiments. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., took to social media to say that the resignation was only a positive contribution to his role.
“While the circumstances surrounding her departure deserve our sympathy, let’s be clear: Tulsi Gabbard’s only positive contribution to our national security is her resignation,” Schiff wrote in X.
But Kinnett pointed out that the political jump to a deeply personal issue reflects what he described as a troubling shift in political commentary.
“The most legal thing you can do as a wife is to leave something behind, as a spouse in general is to leave your job behind,” Kinnett said.
He added that the negative reaction reflected what he called a “lack of character” on the part of critics.
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Gabbard took office in February 2025 and is a US Army Reserve officer and combat veteran. He previously served in Congress for several terms as a Democrat before leaving the party to become an independent and later join the Republican Party.
Tulsi Gabbard and her husband, Abraham Williams, embrace before Gabbard was sworn in as director of national intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 12, 2025, Washington, DC. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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In her resignation letter, Gabbard noted that her husband had been her “rock” throughout their 11 years of marriage and during difficult deployments overseas. He wrote that “he cannot in good conscience ask him to face this battle alone while I continue in this difficult and time-consuming situation.”
Trump responded to her resignation on Truth Social, writing that she “rightly” wants to support her husband during a difficult battle.
“I have no doubt that she will soon be better than before. Tulsi has done a wonderful job, and we will miss her,” he wrote.
