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Tulsi Gabbard’s rise to power potentially guided by ‘controlling cult’ leader: Washington Post

The report says 25,000 documents and hundreds of memos show Butler directed Gabbard on legislation, policy and public remarks.

  • On Sunday, a new Washington Post investigation revealed that Tulsi Gabbard may have been guided by Chris Butler throughout her more than 24-year political career, with nearly 25,000 documents suggesting he controlled her policy positions and legislative proposals.
  • Butler founded the Science of Identity Foundation decades ago, a movement some scholars and ex-members describe as a "cult," though the group denies this characterization. Former devotees told investigative journalist Jon Swaine that Butler demanded total obedience and sought to extend his influence into Washington through Gabbard.
  • Hundreds of confidential memos obtained by The Post include directives on legislation, policy positions, and television conduct. One memo from January 2015 contained a "derisive assessment" of Gabbard's response to a State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, stating, "In the first place, nobody gives a s--- what you think about his speech, unless you're going to say something of interest."
  • Tulsi Gabbard resigned as national intelligence director last Friday, citing her husband's deteriorating health. The investigative report emerged just days after she stepped down from her position in the administration.
  • Journalists including The Atlantic's Shane Harris and Anne Applebaum described the investigation as "extraordinary new reporting," with evidence suggesting Gabbard's political rise was the culmination of Butler's decades-long effort to extend his influence into the highest levels of government.
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14 Articles

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The leader of a cult, Chris Butler, took advantage of his close relationship with Gabbard (who was recently director of U.S. intelligence) to promote his political ideals.

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  • 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left

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The Washington Post broke the news on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
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