Tulsi Gabbard can’t seem to catch a break, no matter which party or administration she joins. 

First, she was ostracized by the Democratic Party in 2016 when she spoke out against the party’s unfair treatment against Bernie Sanders. At the time, she was a sitting Democratic congresswoman and DNC vice chair.

Then, she was accused of being a Russian asset by Hillary Clinton.

Now, it is being reported that she may be getting similar treatment from President Donald Trump. 

Gabbard, who was appointed by Trump to be the US Director of National Intelligence, was reportedly absent from a Senate intelligence briefing Thursday following conflicting reports on recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Daily Beast has used the term “sidelined” to describe her treatment by the president, which raises the question – is this the case?

Here’s What We Know

The issue goes back to Gabbard’s testimony before Congress in March that while Iran was hostile toward the US and its allies posed a cyber security threat to the US, the intelligence community’s (IC) intel at the time said Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon nor had Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei authorized it.

Fast forward to June, a conflict between Israel and Iran escalated to missile attacks exchanged between both sides. With mounting pressure for the US to get involved, Trump ordered air strikes on uranium enrichment and other nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

These sites were hit with 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs and tomahawk missiles on June 21 (June 22 in Iran). Trump immediately posted on Truth Social that the mission was a success and “now is the time for peace.”

The attack was a surprise as the White House announced on June 20 that Trump would make a decision within two weeks. The fact that the attack happened the next day (with bombers being deployed from Missouri) indicates that the order had already been given.

Prior to the attack, Trump claimed Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, which prompted reporters to bring up Gabbard’s March testimony. He responded by claiming that she and the IC were “wrong.”

The Atlantic says US officials have confirmed the assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon remains unchanged to this day.

Notably, the press did not mention Gabbard’s full statement about Iran. Specifically, her remarks that its uranium stockpile was “at its highest levels and unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.” 

This became a focal point among Trump’s team when confronting media scrutiny. Vice President JD Vance said both Trump and Gabbard have been consistent on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and that the media was “putting words in people’s mouths.”

Gabbard also said on X that her remarks were taken out of context and that Iran could build a nuclear weapon in weeks or months. This, of course, created a new distinction between what Iran is doing versus what they can do that was not explicitly made in her March testimony.

The Trump administration continued to be pressed about conflicting reports from the IC, including a CNN exclusive on leaked US intel that contradicted Trump’s claim that the Iranian nuclear sites were “obliterated.” CNN claims the intel was from the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Trump called CNN “scum” and said all the coverage on the report was “fake news.”

Then, on June 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a statement saying he can confirm CIA intel “that contradicts illegally sourced public reporting regarding the destruction of key Iranian nuclear facilities.” Gabbard also said “new intelligence” confirmed Trump’s assessment.

The whole situation has turned into a confusing conundrum of who to believe, including accusations of “stovepiping” within the Trump administration, which would mean Trump and his team were pushing intelligence to a predetermined conclusion for political reasons.

Historical reference: During the lead up to the US invasion of Iraq, then-President George W. Bush believed Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction. While this ended up being false, his intelligence chiefs were able to give him information to justify this belief.

There Are Too Many Unknowns to Move Past Speculation

The continued coverage that Iran’s nuclear capabilities may not have been completely destroyed continues to stir contempt within the Trump administration as cabinet members ramp up condemnation of the press.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused members of the Pentagon press corp on Thursday of cheering against Trump and said the “hatred of the press corps” undermines the work of the men and women in uniform and the efficacy of the Iran strikes.

He added that "classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad” and it was leaked because “someone had an agenda.” Whether this means the administration is looking to hold someone accountable remains to be seen.

Gabbard’s absence from Thursday’s Senate intelligence briefing further fuels the fire of speculation but does not point to anything conclusive about whether or not she is actually being sidelined or silenced by the president. 

However, between intel leaks, the information war between the press and the White House, and Trump officials insisting that the president’s assessment of Iran is and has always been correct – the truth remains elusive to anyone trying to follow the story.