Leaked Documents Show Gabbard Family’s Deep Ties To Sect Leader
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New revelations about former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard following the dictates of her spiritual guru while she was a member of Congress have resurrected interest in her family’s involvement with Chris Butler and his Kailua-based Science of Identity Foundation, which defectors often describe as a cult.
Details about Butler’s influence over Gabbard and her decisions, including orders telling her what policy positions to take and bills to support, were described in leaked Science of Identity Foundation documents obtained by The Washington Post.
Gabbard was born into the Science of Identity Foundation through her parents, Mike and Carol Gabbard, who are long-time devotees of Butler and have maintained their relationship with him while holding various positions in public office, including on the state Board of Education, Honolulu City Council and Hawaiʻi State Legislature.
Mike Gabbard continues to serve as a state senator and is currently running unopposed. Former insiders say he’s still closely aligned with the sect, which is an offshoot of Hare Krishna, and have pointed to video evidence of him singing at organization gatherings as recently as 2019.
For years, the Gabbards have denied and dodged the suggestion that their deep and persistent ties to the organization have had any bearing on their decision-making. Its devotees, the Gabbards included, have long held political ambitions and have pushed messages echoing Butler’s own teachings, which center around spirituality, yoga and vegetarianism, but also veer into screeds against gay people, Muslims and the nation’s intelligence apparatus.
Mike Gabbard continues to serve as a state senator and is currently running unopposed. Former insiders say he’s still closely aligned with the sect, which is an offshoot of Hare Krishna, and have pointed to video evidence of him singing at organization gatherings as recently as 2019.
For years, the Gabbards have denied and dodged the suggestion that their deep and persistent ties to the organization have had any bearing on their decision-making. Its devotees, the Gabbards included, have long held political ambitions and have pushed messages echoing Butler’s own teachings, which center around spirituality, yoga and vegetarianism, but also veer into screeds against gay people, Muslims and the nation’s intelligence apparatus.
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Content retrieved from: https://civilbeat.org/2026/06/leaked-documents-show-gabbard-familys-deep-ties-to-sect-leader/.
