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US Intel Chief Tulsi was kept out of Maduro capture plan: Report

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard was reportedly left out of months of planning for the operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to sources familiar with the matter. The decision was influenced by Gabbard’s past opposition to U.S. military involvement in Venezuela, which raised concerns about her willingness to support the mission.

The exclusion, which reportedly became widely known within the White House, prompted some aides to joke that the acronym “DNI” stood for “Do Not Invite,” though a White House official denied the remark. As a congresswoman in 2019, Gabbard had called on the U.S. to “stay out” of Venezuela and more recently criticized “warmongers” pushing the U.S. into foreign conflicts.

Despite her limited operational involvement, officials said Gabbard continued to provide intelligence analysis that contributed to the overall mission. Vice President JD Vance and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung emphasized that Gabbard remained a trusted adviser. “We’re all part of the same team,” Vance said, noting the operation was restricted to senior Cabinet-level officials for security reasons.

Observers said it is unusual for the DNI to be excluded from a foreign operation, given the role’s mandate to coordinate the country’s 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA. Former intelligence officials described the situation as a typical but not unprecedented, noting that previous administrations sometimes relied on either the DNI or CIA director more heavily for certain operations.

Photos released by the White House show Trump and close aides in a war-room setting monitoring the operation in real time, with Gabbard absent. Analysts said the visuals underscore tension within the Trump administration regarding the DNI’s involvement in politically sensitive missions.

Gabbard, a veteran of the Iraq War and an Army Reserve officer, has long opposed U.S.-led regime-change interventions. During her 2020 presidential campaign, she frequently criticized what she described as an “endless cycle of regime change and nation-building.” In her current role, she has focused on intelligence transparency and declassifying historical documents while continuing to brief the president regularly.

While her operational input on the Maduro mission was limited, her broader responsibilities as DNI remain intact, and she continues to play a political and analytical role within the administration.