Former US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard may have received political guidance from people linked to a Hindu religious organisation she has been associated with since childhood, the Washington Post has reported.
The report, published on Sunday, said the information had emerged from more than 25,000 pages of documents provided by a former member of the Science of Identity Foundation, Rebecca Saltzberg.
Gabbard, who was once a Democratic member of Congress and later joined the Republican Party, served as Director of National Intelligence in President Donald Trump’s administration. On May 22 this year, she announced her resignation, citing her husband’s health problems.
The report said Gabbard had been associated with the Science of Identity Foundation from childhood and had previously referred to its leader, Chris Butler, as her ‘guru.’ Gabbard’s parents also held important positions in the organisation, the report claimed.
Citing former members, the Washington Post said Butler influenced followers’ major life decisions and also sought to wield political influence. The organisation, however, has rejected accusations that it is a ‘cult’ or a controversial religious group.
The report said documents linked to an email domain used by Butler’s office contained advisory memos on Gabbard’s work in Congress, her policy positions, her television interviews and her political activities. Among the documents were several memos on the Syria issue; one document from August 2016 advised on a strategy to oppose US efforts to remove the then Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, the report said.
The Washington Post claimed that the advice in some of the documents matched Gabbard’s later political statements and actions.
Gabbard has previously denied that Chris Butler directed her politically. Her representatives, without commenting in detail on the specific documents, alleged that the newspaper was running a hostile campaign targeting her Hindu religious identity.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report