Tulsi Gabbard's Ties to 'Cult' Could Cost Her Intel Job (The Daily Beast)
By Emell Derra Adolphus
News Reporter
Published Nov. 14 2024 5:37PM EST
In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint ex-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, reports have resurfaced her ties to a religious sect described as a “cult”—a connection that has the potential to throw her nomination, which requires Senate confirmation, into jeopardy.
Gabbard became the first American Samoan and practicing Hindu in Congress when she joined the House as the Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district in 2013. And she reportedly met her husband, Abraham Williams, just a year before when he volunteered to shoot a video for her campaign.
In addition to bonding over a love of surfing, The Daily Mail reported that the couple also was mutually connected to the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), a group with a history of antagonism toward LGBTQ people, women and Muslims. The group’s leader Chris Butler is heralded by members as a deity in his own right.
The SIF, described as an alt-right branch of Hare Krishna, has reportedly developed thousands of followers across Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia—with Butler being heralded as an extension of God.
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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/tulsi-gabbards-ties-to-cult-could-cost-her-intel-job/
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