“I guess the Democrats were so horny for a young telegenic veteran woman of color who self-identified as a Hindu, that they ignored her thin resume and troubling past political views, which she hadn't even directly apologized for or addressed.”
Aaron Ryan
0:15
Synopsis
Tulsi Gabbard's rise to Director of National Intelligence traces directly back to her upbringing inside the Science of Identity Foundation — a secretive Hawaii-based religious group led by a charismatic guru named Chris Butler whose followers mixed his toenail clippings into food, ran an MLM linked to a Ponzi scheme, and counted a billion-dollar hashish trafficker among their financiers. Her entire political career — from anti-gay state senator to progressive darling to MAGA convert — follows a single throughline: radical ideological shapeshifting in pursuit of proximity to whoever holds power, with SIF-affiliated staffers, campaign managers, and her own husband embedded throughout her operation. For busy professionals, this episode is worth your time because it does something rare: it connects the dots between a sitting U.S. intelligence chief's undisclosed religious affiliations, her pattern of parroting Russian state propaganda, and a career built entirely on fooling powerful people — and makes a credible case that the most important intelligence official in America may be accountable not to the public, but to a cult leader in Hawaii.
Speakers
Aaron Ryan
Alyssa Mastro Monaco
Episode Breakdown
The hosts introduce Tulsi Gabbard as the subject, then delve into the history of Chris Butler, a former baseball player who founded the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), an offshoot of the Hare Krishna movement with cult-like characteristics and controversial beliefs.
“Most politicians at least pretend to be driven by something beyond raw ambition, but director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has anamorphd into something new so many times that it's impossible to see her as anything better than a snake.”
This quote delivers a scathing and highly personal critique of a prominent political figure, questioning her integrity and motives.
Aaron Ryan
0:27
“If Hare Krishna is a cult, it's cult flavored in the same way that Lacroix is grapefruit flavored.”
This memorable analogy provocatively downplays the 'cult' label for a religious movement, suggesting a nuanced or diluted perception.
Aaron Ryan
3:32
“One critic of the group described the Science of Identity Foundation as Hare Krishna's alt-right.”
This quote makes an extremely controversial and polarizing comparison between a religious foundation and a far-right political movement, designed to spark strong debate.