'Very scary': Leah Remini says Trump's inner circle has been 'infiltrated' by Scientology

Former Scientologist Leah Remini is warning that members of the religious group she escaped from have successfully carried out an "infiltration" of President Donald Trump's inner circle.

On Tuesday, Redstate founder Erick Erickson tweeted that there were a "lot of Scientologists hanging out in the President's orbit lately," which could be a reference to two Scientologists prominent in conservative politics. Real estate developer Grant Cardone — who spoke at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in October of 2024 — was also given a speaking slot at Turning Point USA's annual Americafest event in Phoenix, Arizona this month.

Cardone is also a featured content creator on far-right PragerU's website, where he is described as "an entrepreneur, real estate investor and sales trainer recognized for his high-energy approach to business and personal growth." In 2011, the Village Voice reported that Cardone had reached OT VIII (Operating Thetan Level Eight), which is the highest level within the organization.

In addition to Cardone, Scientologist Patricia Duggan is also close to Trump, as he appointed her to the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts earlier this year. Duggan's level within the organization is not publicly known, though she is the largest single donor to the group, with the Tampa Bay Times reporting that the Church of Scientology created the donor category "Patron of Legend" just for her. Her then-husband Robert Duggan said in 2016 he donated ore than $360 million to the group.

"Yes, this is accurate, Erick, and very scary," Remini wrote in a response to Erickson's tweet. "Thank you for always being aware of the dangers of Scientology and their successful infiltration of the Trump administration and the federal government overall."

The act of infiltrating government agencies is a longstanding practice of the organization, according to a 1980 St. Petersburg Times report that won the Pulitzer Price, In the 1970s, the Church of Scientology carried out a plan dubbed "Operation Snow White" in which approximately 5,000 Scientologists sought to gain access to 136 government agencies, embassies and private organizations to purge all documents casting the organization in an unfavorable light. An IRS librarian spotted two Scientologists at its Washington D.C. office, which led to a federal raid on the group's buildings resulting in the seizure of more than 48,000 documents.