Fox’s Jennifer Griffin Warns Tulsi Gabbard’s Ties to Group Accused of Being a Cult Raises Questions About Her ‘Judgment and Autonomy’

Fox News’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin shared a deep dive into Tulsi Gabbard’s affiliation with a new religious movement called the Science of Identity Foundation over the weekend, suggesting that it “raises questions” over the wisdom of confirming her to serve as director of national intelligence.

“Tulsi Gabbard’s long involvement with the Science of Identity Foundation raises questions about the judgment and autonomy needed to advise the president on national security – Hawaii reporter looks at Gabbard’s ties to group that many classify as a cult,” Griffin wrote on X while sharing the article from Nick Grube– the Washington, D.C. correspondent for Honolulu Civil Beat.

Grube’s article highlights a letter from a former member of the Science of Identity Foundation, which demonstrates the former Democratic congresswoman’s close ties to the group’s controversial founder. “Anita van Duyn says she spent 15 years inside the Science of Identity Foundation, a fringe offshoot of Hare Krishna that was formed in the 1970s and has been described by defectors as a cult,” Grube reports, adding:

Van Duyn has sent letters to Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, detailing Gabbard’s deep ties to the organization and its reclusive founder, Chris Butler, who still resides in a multimillion-dollar beachfront home in Kailua.

“The van Duyn letters outline what she says are Butler’s long-standing political ambitions and the ways he groomed and supported his disciples, Gabbard included, in their pursuit of public office while promoting his own ideologies, which include a long history of espousing anti-gay rhetoric,” Grube wrote, adding:

Van Duyn says she worries that Gabbard is still under Butler’s influence, which could compromise national security, noting in her letter that she suspects that any sensitive intelligence Gabbard is privy to will be “communicated to her guru.”

Grube also noted that Gabbard’s parents are longtime members of the group and that she was born into its teachings. “Throughout her political career, Gabbard has maintained ties with Butler and his followers, whether hiring them to staff her congressional office or work on her 2020 presidential campaign. Her husband, Abraham Williams, has deep roots in the organization,” Grube added.

Gabbard is widely seen as one of Trump’s weaker nominees given her past statements on Russia and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who she met with in 2017. Gabbard, a former Bernie Sanders-style Democrat, also has a long history of fiercely criticizing Republicans, including Trump during his first term in office.

Grube cautions that Democrats could end up bolstering Gabbard’s nomination by attacking her system of beliefs. “Senators could open themselves up to counterattacks if they target Gabbard over her religion, said Todd Belt, professor and director of George Washington University’s political management program. He pointed to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and her own ties to a secretive Christian group known as the People of Praise, which embraces strict and traditional gender roles for men and women,” Grube wrote, adding:

As a nominee, Barrett faced numerous questions about her religion and how it might influence her work. But when the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein declared that “the dogma lives loudly within you” it became a rallying cry for her defense and quickly put Democrats in the crosshairs of those alleging religious persecution.

Read the full article here.