Investigation Alleges External Influence on Gabbard's Political Career
A Washington Post investigation has questioned the political independence of former US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The report emerged as Gabbard ended her tenure, alleging she had long-term, extensive contact with associates of Chris Butler, the Hawaii-based founder of the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF).
The investigation is based on over 25,000 pages of internal documents and emails provided by Rebecca Saltzburg, a former campaign worker for Gabbard who was also affiliated with the SIF. According to the report, these materials suggest that Butler's close allies collaborated with Gabbard's advisers to shape her public messaging, policy positions, and legislative strategy during her time in Congress and beyond.
Similarities Between SIF Memos and Gabbard's Legislative Work
The report pointed to similarities between internal SIF-linked memos and Gabbard's legislative work. The report alleged these concepts manifested not only in her interviews but also in her policy frameworks and legislative manoeuvres. As an example, the newspaper highlighted an email directive that stated, 'Get it started in the morning,' which encouraged legislative steps against nations whose citizens joined Islamic State fighters, noting that Gabbard introduced a matching bill in Congress a week later.
Other documents allegedly gave tactical messaging advice on sensitive foreign policy issues like Syria, with some memos matching arguments she later made in interviews and congressional debates. The investigation further claimed that social media activity was coordinated to bolster her public image, with online accounts run by Butler supporters consistently defending her political career, including one post stating, 'DNI Gabbard is a true patriot and will be missed.'
Chris Butler and the Science of Identity Foundation
Chris Butler, the 78-year-old Hawaii-based founder of the Science of Identity Foundation, established the US-based movement in the 1970s. The group teaches a blend of yoga and has been the subject of long-standing controversy. Critics, including former members, have described the group as having a rigid hierarchical structure, alleging that Butler exerted significant control over the lives and decisions of his followers. Some former associates have claimed that Butler held ambitions beyond spiritual leadership and was critical of US intelligence and defence institutions.
The report quoted one former member who stated, 'I was raised to believe Chris Butler was God's voice on Earth, and if you questioned him or offended him in any way, you were effectively offending God,' while another associate claimed Butler harboured expansive ambitions beyond spirituality, stating, 'He wanted, he said, to rule the world.' Furthermore, Butler was quoted by former associates as having previously disparaged American intelligence and defence agencies, labelling them 'madmen.'
Political Fallout and Gabbard's Defence
The political fallout from these allegations prompted a swift rejection of the claims by Gabbard's spokesperson. The defence comes amid heightened scrutiny following her resignation from her intelligence role, which was announced in May after months of speculation. Meanwhile, individuals close to Butler denied he wrote the directives, with associate Sunil Khemaney claiming authorship, though The Washington Post maintained that its analysis of a 173-page dossier revealed first-person and biographical details, including references to a Hawaii upbringing, that pointed directly to Butler.
ODNI Workforce Cuts and Transition Turmoil
Adding to the administrative turmoil surrounding her exit, the extensive workforce reductions under consideration by President Donald Trump's acting Director of National Intelligence commenced at his own office on Monday, according to a report by CNN citing a source familiar with the matter. Refusing to provide precise metrics regarding the exact volume of eliminated positions, the source remarked, 'The deep state firings have begun,' CNN reported.
As the administrative purge took hold, several political appointees who were considered close to the prior director, Tulsi Gabbard, were among the first to be fired, multiple sources told CNN. One of the sources noted that a portion of those individuals had already been walked out of the facility by Tuesday. These swift removals follow previous disclosures broadcast by CNN indicating that Bill Pulte, selected by Trump to lead the office in an acting capacity, was reviewing plans to terminate hundreds of personnel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Pulte's Early Arrival and Employee Lists
According to CNN sources, Pulte arrived at his new assignment a day ahead of schedule last week after requesting a comprehensive roster of every employee in the office, a move that caught outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard completely off guard. While initial internal assessments suggested that the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center were expected to bear the brunt of the cuts, a source familiar with the situation told CNN that the targeted departments shifted. On Tuesday, the primary source clarified that the NCTC had not been impacted by the initial wave of firings.
Nevertheless, the pressure remained systemic across the agency. According to two sources familiar with the matter, all departments were instructed to submit a list ranking their personnel by Monday, a demand linked directly to Pulte's directive to execute mass firings.
Congressional Concerns Over National Security Risks
This structural overhaul unfolded concurrently with a joint warning issued on Monday by top Democrats on the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, who dispatched a formal letter to Pulte highlighting the operational vulnerabilities associated with severe personnel cuts. Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes wrote, 'We are concerned by reports that you intend to fire or place on leave hundreds of Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) officers as soon as this week.'
'While there is room to consider responsible reductions to ODNI's workforce, any large cuts would follow on a substantial downsizing that has already occurred in 2025 and risk jeopardising the mission of an organisation explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack,' the lawmakers wrote. Directly addressing the rapid transition of power, they continued, 'Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security. Making significant structural changes to ODNI, including a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in an acting capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress, and you should refrain from doing so.'
White House Validates Aggressive Downsizing
When questioned on the sudden restructuring, a White House official validated the aggressive strategy by pointing to a recent social media communication by Trump on Truth Social, where he openly foreshadowed a major downsizing at the agency. 'I have named William Pulte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will take over on June 19, and have asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies,' Trump wrote.
Reflecting his immediate mandate, Pulte was present in the Oval Office as Trump signed executive orders on Monday, following his early arrival last week to conduct meetings with legal counsel and administrative personnel. In his capacity as Director of National Intelligence, Pulte commands oversight of 18 intelligence agencies. However, his sudden elevation caused significant friction among some of Trump's closest advisers and triggered widespread anxiety on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had scrambled to confirm Jay Clayton to the post permanently before Trump unexpectedly halted Clayton's participation in a confirmation hearing.
Pulte's Temporary Role and Gabbard's Legacy
While Trump has indicated that he intends for Pulte to occupy the leadership role only temporarily, the precise duration remains undefined. Observers note that Gabbard had previously utilised the post to search for evidence of voter fraud surrounding the 2020 election, leading to concerns that Pulte may expand upon those initiatives. The complete erasure of the previous leadership's presence was made physically manifest at the headquarters. During her leadership tenure, Gabbard had arranged for dozens of portraits of herself to be displayed throughout the corridors of the DNI offices in northern Virginia. Two sources confirmed to CNN that all of those photographs, captured by her husband, who is a professional photographer, had been entirely removed as of Monday.
