Tulsi Gabbard 'paid to mask connections’ to alleged pyramid scheme tied to her childhood Hindu sect
Tulsi Gabbard 'paid to mask connections’ to alleged pyramid scheme tied to her childhood Hindu sect
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Lawmakers have been scrutinizing Gabbard’s ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, according to the report. Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign paid a firm to “mask connections” to an alleged pyramid scheme linked to a secretive sect she grew up in, according to a report.
![[Trump has tapped Gabbard to be his pick as Director of National Intelligence]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/10/GettyImages-2180364859.jpg)
The Senate Intelligence Committee is set to grill President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as director of national intelligence on Thursday over her questionable connections and background. Since she was named as nominee to the post, she has faced questions and pushback given her previous statements and her history with foreign nations.
![[Gabbard during her 2020 presidential run]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/02/21/19/GettyImages-1204961081.jpg)
Gabbard was raised in the secretive sect whose members pledge absolute loyalty to its reclusive guru, Chris Butler. The sect has long been tied to QI — accused of running a pyramid scheme in several countries. According to the Journal, Gabbard’s campaign paid the PR firm Potomac Square Group, based in Washington D.C., to “mask the connections” between the sect, the marketing firm, and the politician. But the clean-up was reportedly steered by a former follower of the sect — Sunil Khemaney — who is also a long-time political fundraiser to Gabbard and sits on the board of a QI subsidiary.
Potomac managing director Christopher Cooper told The Independent that the firm worked with Gabbard’s campaign for a few months in 2017 “to help it manage online attacks related to her religion.”. “We provided support and advice in two specific categories: to demystify the issue by helping Rep. Gabbard publicly discuss the details of her spiritual life and relationship with SIF, and to correct errors of fact,” Cooper said in a statement. “PSG wasn’t directed to mount a ‘pressure campaign’ to silence or target reporters and we didn’t conduct one [and] PSG was not hired to conceal Rep. Gabbard’s relationship with SIF and we did not do so.”.
