Tulsi Gabbard shares story of husband’s cancer diagnosis: “It was tough”

Tulsi Gabbard, the former director of national intelligence who left her position earlier this year after her husband was diagnosed with bone cancer, told CBS News that he is progressing well.

In a new video she shared with CBS, Gabbard said doctors discovered the rare tumor, a sacral chordoma, on his tailbone after Abraham Williams experienced back pain. 

“Even as Abraham’s recovery continues, we’re going to have to keep a very close eye on this. He’ll have to continue to get frequent MRIs to keep an eye on whether or not this cancer is coming back, either in the same place or in other parts of his body,” she said in the video. 

Gabbard described how a few weeks after an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor, the medical team said they were confident that they had been able to cut out all of the cancerous bone and tissue. 

“So here we are now, almost three months after he started a very rigorous physical therapy program. He gets frustrated a lot because he wants to be able to make progress faster, and sometimes he’s pushed a little bit too far,” she said. 

Gabbard announced in May that she would resign, effective June 30, as director of national intelligence, leading President Trump to first name controversial housing official Bill Pulte as her replacement. The decision caused an uproar on Capitol Hill, particularly among Democrats, who refused to renew a key spy authority until Pulte’s name was pulled. The uproar led Mr. Trump to instead name Jay Clayton as her replacement, who was then confirmed by the Senate. 

Under Gabbard, ODNI underwent major restructuring, with 40% of staff reduced or reassigned and several offices and analytic functions were consolidated under an “ODNI 2.0” initiative. Administration officials have said the changes were intended to streamline bloat at the agency, while critics have said the moves have weakened ODNI’s institutional capacity and shifted more influence back toward standalone agencies like the CIA.