Overview
- Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal report that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was excluded for months from planning the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.
- Multiple accounts say some aides quipped that “DNI” meant “Do Not Invite,” though a White House official denied the joke was made.
- Vice President JD Vance publicly rejected the reports and said the team kept planning tightly held, while Communications Director Steven Cheung said President Trump has full confidence in Gabbard.
- An administration official said ODNI supplied intelligence analysis for the mission even if Gabbard was not part of operational planning discussions.
- White House photos from a Mar-a-Lago situation room showed senior advisers without Gabbard, who praised the operation several days later, as former intelligence officials noted that sidelining a DNI is rare.