Tulsi Gabbard hit with wild secret cult allegations
Controversy has emerged over former US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, with a major investigation alleging that she maintained long-standing ties to a Hindu sect that her critics described as a “cult”, after she stepped down from her senior national security post.A Washington Post report detailed extensive communications between consultants linked to Gabbard and associates of Chris Butler, 78, founder of the Hawaii-based Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), a new religious movement formed in the 1970s after separating from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The group is based in the United States and teaches a combination of yoga and elements of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.The investigation alleges that emails, internal documents and talking points show close Butler allies working with Gabbard’s advisers to shape her public messaging and political position over a number of years. According to a WP report, former SIF member Rebecca Saltzburg, who worked on several of Gabbard’s congressional campaigns, provided materials suggesting Butler’s influence reached Gabbard and her family.
Between 2014 and 2016, when Gabbard was a member of Congress, The Washington Post reported that she repeatedly used arguments that matched talking points that were said to have come from documents linked to the Syrian Islamic Front. The report said that these ideas appeared not only in her interviews, but also in her political positions and legislative activity.Examples cited in the investigation included email instructions saying: “Start in the morning,” encouraging legislative action against countries whose citizens fought in the ranks of ISIS.
Gabbard introduced a similar bill in Congress a week later.The report also alleges that online activity was coordinated to promote Gabbard’s public image, including social media accounts run by Butler supporters who regularly defended and praised her political career. “DNI Gabbard is a true patriot and will be missed,” one message read.Chris Butler, described by former members as an influential spiritual figure within SIF, has been accused by critics of exercising too much control over his followers.
“I was raised to believe that Chris Butler was the voice of God on earth, and if you doubted him or insulted him in any way, you were effectively doing God a disservice,” said one former member, while another said he had ambitions beyond religion, saying: “He wanted, he said, to rule the world.
“Former colleagues quoted Butler as saying that he had previously condemned the American intelligence and defense institutions, describing them as “crazy.”Now the controversy has taken on a political dimension, with Gabbard’s spokesman rejecting the allegations and calling the report a “blatant example of anti-Hindu bigotry.” The defense comes as scrutiny of her connections intensifies following her resignation from her intelligence role, which she announced in May after months of speculation about her future in the position.Those close to Butler denied that he personally authored the directives attributed to him, as his partner Sunil Kimani claimed responsibility for writing them.
However, The Washington Post said its analysis found indications that Butler himself may have been the source, including references to his upbringing in Hawaii.In the 173-page material reviewed by the newspaper, first-person references and biographical details aligned more closely with Butler than with his associates.Tulsi Gabbard grew up in a Hindu-influenced Vaishnava family. Her mother, Carol Gabbard, was a convert to Hindu teachings, and Gabbard adopted Hindu beliefs early in life. A devout Hindu, she took oath on the Bhagavad Gita in Congress, and identifies with the roots of the Vaishnavism and yoga traditions there.
