DNI ‘Do Not Invite’? Tulsi Gabbard Kept Out of Maduro Operation Planning

The role and relevance of the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) have come under fresh scrutiny after reports revealed that Tulsi Gabbard was kept out of months-long planning for the covert operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

According to a Bloomberg report, the White House deliberately sidelined Gabbard from key discussions surrounding the operation, codenamed Absolute Resolve, amid doubts within President Donald Trump’s inner circle about her support for military intervention in Venezuela. Gabbard’s past public opposition to regime-change operations reportedly fueled scepticism about whether she would fully back the mission.

The decision to exclude her from critical meetings was said to be widely known within the administration. Some members of Trump’s White House staff were even reported to have joked privately that the initials of her post — DNI — should stand for “Do Not Invite.” While those remarks were not meant to be taken literally, they reflected a deeper mistrust toward Gabbard among some senior officials. One White House official later disputed that such comments were made.

Gabbard’s earlier political positions appear to have weighed heavily in the decision. As a Democratic member of Congress in 2019, she had publicly argued that the United States should “stay out” of Venezuela. More recently, she criticised what she described as “warmongers” pushing the country toward overseas conflicts. Sources familiar with the planning said these statements raised doubts about her willingness to endorse an operation aimed at forcibly removing Maduro.

Her absence became even more conspicuous after the White House released photographs from the makeshift situation room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, where the operation was monitored in real time. The images showed Trump flanked by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Gabbard was notably absent.

The episode has also revived internal debates about the future of the DNI role itself. Some advisers close to Trump have questioned whether the position — created after the September 11 attacks to coordinate intelligence across agencies — remains necessary. Former officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations, however, described the exclusion of the DNI from such a major operation as highly unusual. The DNI traditionally serves as the president’s principal intelligence adviser and oversees 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA.

An Office of the Director of National Intelligence spokesperson pointed to a social media post in which Gabbard praised US service members for what she called the operation’s “flawless execution.” The post came after several days of silence, during which other senior national security officials publicly celebrated the mission through briefings and media appearances.

The White House has pushed back against claims of internal sidelining. Vice President JD Vance dismissed reports that Gabbard was frozen out, calling them “false” and insisting that the operation was restricted to a small group to maintain secrecy. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also said Trump had “full confidence” in Gabbard and praised her performance as DNI.

Even so, the controversy highlights growing internal tensions within the administration, particularly as Trump’s Venezuela operation contrasts with his campaign pledges to avoid new foreign entanglements. The questions now extend beyond Gabbard’s exclusion to whether the intelligence coordination framework itself is undergoing a quiet but significant shift.