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yesterday

White House Denies Reports DNI Gabbard Was Sidelined From Venezuela Operation

Anonymous accounts say her past opposition to intervention fueled mistrust that kept her out of months of planning, a characterization officials reject.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (R) looks on during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on January 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. Vance joined Leavitt to address several topics including the welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota and yesterday's fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent during a confrontation in Minneapolis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 23: U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attends an event where President Donald Trump delivered an announcement on his Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dinning Room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump declared the task force a success, claiming that more than 3,000 cartel and foreign terrorists have been arrested. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, 2024.

Overview

  • Bloomberg reporting, echoed across outlets, says Tulsi Gabbard was intentionally excluded from Venezuela planning, with some aides joking that DNI meant “Do Not Invite.”
  • Vice President J.D. Vance publicly rejected the reports and said claims that he or Gabbard were kept out of planning are false.
  • White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said President Trump has full confidence in Gabbard, calling her performance strong.
  • An ODNI spokesperson said Gabbard provided intelligence analysis for the mission and pointed to her post praising U.S. personnel for the operation’s “flawless execution.”
  • Photos of a makeshift war room released after the raid did not show Gabbard, and former intelligence officials called any exclusion of a DNI highly unusual, leaving a public dispute over her role unresolved.