A New Washington Post exposé raises questions about former National Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard and her Hare Krishna guru’s desire to shape world politics.

Investigative journalist Jon Swaine published his findings Sunday in a lengthy feature for the Washington Post about Gabbard’s relationship with Chris Butler, “the eccentric religious leader Gabbard once described as her guru.”

Swaine wrote that “Gabbard grew up in Butler’s breakaway Hare Krishna group” and that “Her parents held senior positions in the organization.”

“Butler’s followers practice a form of Hinduism that involves devotion to a single deity, in their case Krishna, and certain expectations around meditation, yoga and diet,” Swaine wrote. “Some former members, however, have called the group a cult and said disciples were isolated from the outside world, characterizations the group has denied.”

Swaine said he set out on a year-long investigation to learn whether the “reclusive guru been secretly trying to steer Gabbard’s actions as a public official” — first as a Democratic member of Congress, then as an independent, and most recently as a Republican Trump administration official.

Those two times, Gabbard took the oath of office on the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavad-Gita, “and has said she was proud to be the first Hindu American member of Congress,” Swaine wrote.

Gabbard, just days ago, officially stepped down from the Trump administration, saying she’s caring for her husband who’s battling cancer.

A former member of Butler’s sect turned over internal records to Swaine, “because she felt Gabbard misled voters about Butler’s role and his influence on her decision-making,” Swaine wrote. He also noted that some former members “have called the group a cult.”

Swaine said he reviewed thousands of emails and documents while reporting his story.

“Their content was extraordinary,” Swaine wrote. He added, “Dozens of attached memos appeared to document directives and advice for Gabbard from her time in Congress. Some contained instructions on what legislation she should propose, which policies she should embrace and how she should conduct herself on television. They had an air of authority.”

He continued:

I found a 173-page dossier from 2014 titled “TG Issues.” It compiled advice for Gabbard on dozens of topics — from taxes to the mysterious disappearance that year of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and more. The document was peppered with imperatives. “Start introducing bills,” it said on one issue. “Need to get on it and hit hard. Stop being weak,” it said on another.

“I thought, the documents suggested that someone had been telling Gabbard what to do. And…she appeared to have done it,” Swaine wrote.

“With Post colleague Aaron Schaffer, I compared Gabbard’s remarks in 32 TV interviews between 2014 and 2016 with the talking-points memos intended for them,” Swaine continued. “On 24 occasions, Gabbard used language in the memos almost verbatim. In the eight other instances, Gabbard used different words but promoted some of the same ideas.”

A source told Swaine that “Butler was obsessed with politics and wanted “to rule the world.”

Butler and his organization declined to comment for Swaine’s piece. After repeated requests for comment, Gabbard’s chief of staff sent Swaine a statement saying, the allegations “are a blatant example of anti-Hindu bigotry.”

A spokeswoman added, “I cannot imagine WaPo’s readers would be interested in yet another uncredible, bigoted attack on the DNI’s faith.”

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