Report Raises Questions About Tulsi Gabbard’s Ties To Religious Foundation

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Newly disclosed documents cited by The Washington Post have raised questions about whether former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard relied on political advice from people linked to the Science of Identity Foundation, a religious group she has been associated with since childhood.

The findings were drawn from more than 25,000 pages of documents provided by Rebecca Saltzburg, who previously belonged to the organization and later worked on Gabbard’s congressional campaigns.

Chris Butler heads the Science of Identity Foundation, the religious organization at the center of the report. Gabbard has publicly referred to Butler as her guru, while her parents held leadership positions within the group. Former members told The Washington Post that Butler played a dominant role in the lives of followers and sought political influence through the organization. The foundation has rejected claims that it operates as a cult.

The documents reviewed by the newspaper reportedly include correspondence, briefing materials and other records related to Gabbard’s time in Congress. According to the report, the materials discussed topics ranging from legislative issues and policy debates to media strategy and public messaging. Some records also contained assessments of her work and recommendations on how certain issues should be presented.

The newspaper reported that several of the records were linked to an email domain connected to Butler’s office. Among the documents was an August 2016 memo dealing with Syria that reportedly advised against US efforts to remove then-President Bashar al-Assad. The report said it found instances in which positions outlined in the documents resembled statements later made by Gabbard or actions she took as a lawmaker.

While Gabbard has long maintained that Butler was not involved in shaping her political career, her representatives challenged the newspaper’s reporting and argued that it reflected hostility toward her Hindu faith. They did not specifically respond to the documents discussed in the report.

Gabbard served in Congress as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party. She went on to become President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence and announced her resignation on May 22, citing her husband’s health issues.