Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard publicly congratulated the Trump administration on Tuesday following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, applauding what she described as a flawless operation carried out by U.S. forces and intelligence personnel.
In a statement posted on X, Gabbard praised the execution of President Donald Trump’s directive, which culminated in the overnight mission known as Operation Absolute Resolve. Her comments came more than three days after the operation was carried out.
“Kudos to our servicemen and women and intelligence operators for their flawless execution of President Trump’s order to deliver on his promise thru Operation Absolute Resolve,” Gabbard wrote, crediting both military and intelligence professionals for the success of the mission.
The remarks marked a notable moment for Gabbard, who in the past had been labeled an isolationist and had openly warned against U.S. intervention in Venezuela. During her time as a Democrat in Congress, Gabbard frequently argued that American involvement in foreign leadership disputes often leads to unintended consequences.
“We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders — so we have to stop trying to choose theirs,” Gabbard wrote in a 2019 online post while serving in Congress, expressing opposition to U.S. efforts to influence political outcomes abroad.
Later that same year, in an interview with Fox News, Gabbard voiced concern that military pressure on Venezuela would only worsen conditions for its people. She warned that the use of force “will only end up with more suffering and death and disaster for the Venezuelan people,” particularly as the Trump administration at the time considered sanctions and other measures aimed at pressuring Maduro, including over control of the country’s oil resources.
Even more recently, Gabbard had signaled caution about overseas entanglements. In an October address, the director of national intelligence told reporters that a “counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building” would not return during Trump’s second administration, a statement that appeared to draw a clear line against open-ended foreign interventions.
Her tone on Tuesday, however, struck a different note. Rather than warning against action abroad, Gabbard framed the Maduro operation as fulfillment of Trump’s commitments to the American people, particularly on security and narcotics enforcement.
“President Trump promised the American people he would secure our borders, confront narcoterrorism, dangerous drug cartels, and drug traffickers,” Gabbard wrote in her post, tying the Venezuela mission directly to those pledges.
Supporters of the administration see Gabbard’s comments as evidence that the Maduro operation represents a targeted strike against criminal networks rather than the kind of prolonged nation-building efforts she previously opposed. The emphasis, they argue, is on disrupting drug trafficking and cartel activity that directly affects the United States, not installing a new government through long-term occupation.
The praise from Gabbard also underscores a broader theme of unity within Trump’s national security team following the operation. By highlighting the professionalism of U.S. forces and intelligence operators, Gabbard aligned herself with the administration’s messaging that the mission was precise, limited and mission-focused.
While critics may point to Gabbard’s earlier statements as a contrast, her latest remarks suggest she views the Maduro capture as consistent with a more restrained but decisive approach to foreign threats.
For the Trump administration, the endorsement from a former skeptic reinforces its argument that Operation Absolute Resolve was not about ideology or regime change, but about enforcing the law and confronting what it sees as narcoterrorism at its source.
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