A controversy surrounding former US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard emerged as she resigned from her senior national security role amid a major investigation into claims she maintained long-standing ties to a Hindu sect described by critics as a “cult”.A Washington Post report details extensive communications between advisers linked to Gabbard and associates of Chris Butler, 78, the Hawaii-based founder of the ‘Science of Identity Foundation’ (SIF), a new religious movement formed in the 1970s after it split from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This group is based in the US and teaches a blend of elements of yoga and Gaudiya Vaishnavism.The investigation claims that emails, internal documents and talking points show that close associates of Butler had been working with Gabbard’s advisers for several years to shape her public messaging and political positions. According to the WP report, former SIF member Rebecca Saltzberg, who worked on several of Gabbard’s congressional campaigns, provided material that showed Butler’s influence extended to Gabbard and her family.Between 2014 and 2016, when Gabbard was a sitting member of Congress, The Washington Post reported that she often used arguments that matched talking points that came from documents related to SIF. The report said these views came forward not only in his interviews but also in his policy positions and legislative activity.One example cited in the investigation included an email instruction that read: “Start it in the morning,” encouraging legislative action against countries whose citizens fought for Islamic State. Gabbard introduced a similar bill in Congress a week later.The report further claims that online activity was coordinated to boost Gabbard’s public image, including through social media accounts run by Butler supporters who regularly defended and praised her political career. One message read: “DNI Gabbard is a true patriot and will be missed.”Chris Butler, described by former members as an influential spiritual figure within the SIF, has been accused by critics of exercising great control over followers. One former member said: “I was raised to believe that Chris Butler is the voice of God on Earth, and if you question him or offend him in any way, you are effectively offending God,” while another said he had ambitions beyond religion, adding: “He wanted, he said, to rule the world.“Butler has been quoted by former colleagues as saying that he had previously criticized the US intelligence and defense institutions and called them “insane”.The controversy has now taken on a political dimension, with Gabbard’s spokesperson rejecting the allegations and calling the report “a blatant example of anti-Hindu bigotry”. The defense comes as scrutiny over his associations has intensified following his resignation from his intelligence role, which was announced in May after months of speculation over his future in office.People close to Butler have denied that he personally wrote the instructions attributed to him, with his aide Sunil Khemani taking responsibility for writing them. However, The Washington Post said its analysis found indicators that suggest Butler herself may be the source, including references to her upbringing in Hawaii.In the 173 pages of material reviewed by the newspaper, first-person references and biographical details match Butler more closely than those of his colleagues.Tulsi Gabbard was raised in a Vaishnav Hindu-influenced household. Her mother, Carol Gabbard, adopted Hindu teachings, and Gabbard adopted Hindu beliefs early in life. She is a practicing Hindu, took the Bhagavad Gita oath in the Congress, and has roots in Vaishnavism and yoga-based traditions there.