Tulsi Gabbard has been named as the director of national intelligence, by President-elect Donald Trump, a position that would see her overseeing 18 intelligence agencies. A former Democrat from Hawaii and a self-proclaimed Hindu American, Gabbard is also a Krishna devotee.
Surrounding this, a video of American Politician Tulsi Gabbard singing “Hare Krishna Hare Radhe” Bhajan, has been widely shared on the Internet claiming to be a recent event in Washington DC after she was appointed the Director of National Intelligence under the Donald Trump government.
Social media users are sharing the video and wrote,” Just two days ago, Tulsi Gabbard was singing the Maha Mantra on the 50th anniversary of ISKON. The same woman, whom Biden had placed on the “Secret Terror List”, will today pass on all the information from the CIA-FBI to Trump. Trump has appointed her as the director of his intelligence department. From CEOs of big companies to Indians like Ramaswami and Tulsi, all are in top positions of power in America today. This is a sign of the faith of the entire world and America on Sanatan Dharma. India’s spiritual influence and power is now steadily growing on the global stage.” (Translated into English)
Fact Check
On investigation, we found the claim to be false. During the investigation, we found the video on the ISCKON News Platform, dated 16 Sept 2016. It informed, “Tulsi Gabbard’s Speech at ISKCON 50th Anniversary Gala Event in Washington D.C.”
The report stated, “Many international religious and political leaders honored ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada’s achievements and contributions at a special ISKCON 50th Anniversary Gala Event in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 13th, 2016. The keynote speaker was U.S. Congresswoman from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard.”
Conclusion
The viral video claiming to show Tulsi Gabbard singing a bhajan in Washington D.C. after being appointed as Director of National Intelligence under the Donald Trump government is false. The video is from September 16, 2016, during the ISKCON 50th Anniversary Gala Event in Washington D.C., where Tulsi Gabbard attended as a Congresswoman from Hawaii.
DFRAC Analysis: Misleading
