Where is Tulsi Gabbard?

1. Official status: the DNI based in Washington, D.C.

Government records and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence list Tulsi Gabbard as the eighth Director of National Intelligence and note she took the oath of office as the Senate‑confirmed DNI, a position centered in Washington, D.C. ^[1], and multiple encyclopedic entries and congressional records likewise identify her current post ^{[5] [6] [7]}.

2. Recent public absence from a major operation: excluded from Venezuela planning

Reporting from Bloomberg and The Washington Post states that Gabbard was left out of months of planning related to a U.S. operation targeting Nicolás Maduro, with officials and people familiar with the matter saying her past anti‑intervention views prompted doubts about her willingness to back the plan ^{[2] [3]}. Those outlets describe her as “sidelined” or “excluded,” portraying a DNI who was not looped into an operation that typically would include the intelligence chief ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Where was she when the Venezuela operation unfolded?

Accounts vary on her exact whereabouts at the moment of the raid: The Washington Post reported that Gabbard was largely absent from public view in the days after the operation ^[3], while commentary pieces and some media noted she had been on a beach holiday in Hawaii in the weeks prior, a detail used to illustrate how distant she appeared from White House planning meetings ^[4]. Bloomberg and related coverage emphasize that she was not part of the planning process rather than declaring a fixed physical location at every moment ^[2].

4. Why was she excluded, according to reporting — and the administration’s response?

Sources told Bloomberg that long‑standing opposition by Gabbard to U.S. military interventions made other national‑security officials and some in the White House question her support for a Maduro operation, prompting exclusion from planning ^[2]. The White House and other spokespeople have publicly denied she was “booted” from planning, and press coverage notes denials alongside the reporting of exclusion ^[8]. The existence of both the reporting and denials shows a clear dispute over whether exclusion was informal political maneuvering or a justified operational decision ^{[2] [8]}.

5. Political context and credibility dynamics shaping “where” she is beyond geography

Gabbard’s prior anti‑interventionist record and post‑Congressional shift in political alignment — including her break with the Democratic Party and later alignment with the Trump administration — are central to why colleagues and commentators frame her as inside the building but sometimes outside key conversations ^{[6] [4]}. Commentators and some cabinet figures reportedly joked about her being “do not invite,” and critics point to those anecdotes to argue she’s been politically isolated within the national‑security team; other officials and the White House push back, framing the narrative as exaggerated ^{[8] [9]}.

6. What can and cannot be concluded from available reporting

It is verifiable that Gabbard is the DNI and is based in the institutional seat of that office ^{[1] [5]}. It is also repeatedly reported that she was not included in planning for the Venezuela operation and that she was less visible publicly around the event, with accounts placing her away from White House planning at times ^{[2] [3]}. What remains uncertain in the public record is the full internal rationale and the precise, moment‑by‑moment movements and briefings that would conclusively map every instance of her physical presence or absence; available sources disclose differing portrayals and include official denials as well as anonymous accounts ^{[2] [8]}.