Laura Loomer claims Tulsi Gabbard’s staff expects her to resign 'soon' after Joe Kent’s exit

WASHINGTON, DC: Rumors that Tulsi Gabbard might step down from her role as US Director of National Intelligence after Joe Kent's resignation are making the rounds online. Political insiders and the media have taken notice, but so far, Gabbard and any official channels haven’t addressed the rumor.

The speculation began when Laura Loomer, a conservative commentator, made a post on social media suggesting that people close to Gabbard believe she is planning to resign.

Loomer outlines concerns about Gabbard's testimony

According to Loomer’s post, Gabbard's political staff is reportedly expecting her to resign after Kent's exit. 

“@TulsiGabbard’s political staff expect that she is about to RESIGN, following the resignation of her colleague @joekent16jan19," Loomer wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

Loomer's post garnered immediate attention, especially because it came on the heels of Joe Kent stepping down from his position as Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center.

However, officials did not link Kent's departure to the rumors surrounding Gabbard at the moment.

As per Loomer's post, the speculation surrounding Gabbard's potential resignation came after her congressional testimony, where she discussed presidential authority and decision-making.

“This comes after two days of her testimony in front of Congress this week where she never once expressed support for President Trump or his decisions,” Loomer wrote.

“Instead, she used her time during the hearings to affirm President Trump’s right to make decisions as President of the United States, making it clear she doesn’t support those decisions,” she stated.

In addition to predicting a possible resignation, Loomer said that one of Gabbard’s “closest advisors” expects her departure to arrive soon.

"Despite what she is telling the White House, one of her closest advisors anticipates her resignation is coming soon," Loomer alleged. 

Loomer's claim remain unverified amid silence from officials

In her post, Loomer further argued that if Gabbard were to resign, Trump should refrain from showing her the "dignity of resignation" due to her public criticism of the president in media appearances.

The post pushed for Trump to fire Gabbard before she could resign on her own, basically aiming to get ahead of any criticism that might crop up later. 

“President Trump should not allow Gabbard the dignity of a resignation, followed by her immediately trashing him on MSDNC, CNN, the View, and Tucker Carlson’s podcast,” the political commentator wrote.

She also claimed that Gabbard did not express direct support for President Trump’s decisions during the congressional hearings, though she acknowledged the president’s authority to make such decisions.

However, Loomer described her post as a “scoop.” The claim was also not corroborated by other sources. The post nevertheless went viral online, with many attempting to understand what may be unfolding behind the scenes with Gabbard’s recent visits to Congress and Kent’s exit.

Loomer's post came two days after Gabbard took to Instagram to share a statement about Trump's action against Iran.

"Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he alone bears the weight and responsibility for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country," she wrote. 

"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions," Gabbard added. 

Despite the ongoing speculation surrounding Gabbard's resignation, there’s zero confirmation from Gabbard herself, her team, or anyone in government about the possibility of her exit. At the moment, it is only social media chatter fueled by Loomer's post.