WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump tuned in to a live broadcast of the U.S. military mission that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was notably absent. Merely two days previously, she had shared photos on a Hawaiian beach at sunset doing yoga, posting a new year’s message for “peace.”
Her apparent vacation just before an urgent, highly classified military mission appeared to highlight just how much she has been left out by the administration.
Nevertheless, on Wednesday she appeared at an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, as FBI agents carried out a search for ballots pertaining to the 2020 presidential election, which Trump has falsely insisted he won.
Gabbard’s attendance surprised national security professionals, sparking speculation about whether she is looking to regain favor with a president who had lost confidence in her.
