‘The Family’ on Netflix: Which Politicians are Connected to the Secret Christian Group, According to the Documentary?

Netflix’s new five-part docuseries, The Family, is, to put it mildly, a lot. Directed by Jesse Moss and executive produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alex Gibney (The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) it’s an eye-opening look at a secret evangelical Christian organization known officially as The Fellowship, and known unofficially as The Family, which has deep, influential ties in Washington D.C.

The series is based partly on Jeff Sharlet’s 2008 book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Sharlet, a journalist, also executive produced and narrates the series, walking viewers through his own brief stint living with members of The Family in a communal-living house, where he describes a cult-like experience. The Family, Sharlet explains, has an extremely unorthodox reading of the Bible and an enigmatic motto: “Jesus plus nothing.”

From there Sharlet outlines key figures like Doug Coe, the leader of The Family until his death in 2017. Coe, unlike more traditional Christian Right evangelical leaders, didn’t want his name out there—he wanted The Family to work in secret with politicians, believing the organization would be more influential that way.  According to the documentary, that strategy paid off handsomely. Every U.S. President from Eisenhower forward has attended the National Prayer Breakfast, an event thrown by The Family under Doug Coe’s guidance. The names of politicians associated with the organization just keep coming as you watch the series. To help you make sense of it, here’s a list of which U.S. politicians are named in The Family, along with how the documentary claims he or she is connected to The Fellowship, in alphabetical order. (Note that politicians who were merely shown in pictures in The Family without further explanation were not included.)

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-AL

Listed as a “Fellowship associate” who traveled to Romania on The Fellowship’s dime. There, he met with Romanian politicians and spoke publicly about “family values” in the lead-up to a Romania referendum vote to ban same-sex marriage. Aderholt is known for his stance against gay marriage in the U.S. According The Family, he has traveled to 18 countries on behalf of The Fellowship.

Former President George H.W. Bush, R

Shown on archived video thanking Doug Coe in a speech and calling him “a guiding light.”

Former President George W. Bush, R

Shown in an archived video at the National Prayer Breakfast, in which he says “this event brings us together for fellowship.”

Former President Jimmy Carter, D

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family in which he calls Doug Coe “a fine Christian” and says Coe’s role was to “find politicians of the Christian faith and offer guidance for us.” He goes onto to say that Coe and his “prayer group” drafted a common prayer for peace between Israel and Egypt for success at Camp David.

Former Governor of Florida Lawton Chiles, D

Doug Coe attended his funeral in 1998.

Former President Bill Clinton, D

Shown on archived video thanking “Doug Coe and all of his associates” in a speech.

Former Rep. Tom Coburn, R-OK

One of the politicians who lived in the C Street Center, a private club/house that was connected to The Fellowship. It once called a “Frat House for Jesus” by The New Yorker. The C Street house was officially designated as a church and received tax-exempt status which allowed the politicians living there to pay a subsidized rent. When pastors protested that C Street did not operate as a church, C Street partially lost its tax-exempt status in 2009.

Charles Colson, Former Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon

After serving time in federal prison for his connection to the Watergate scandal, Colson joined The Fellowship, befriended Doug Coe, and became a major figure of the Christian Right.

Robert Destro, nominated by President Trump to be the next Assistant Secretary for Human Rights, Labor and Democracy

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family and identified as a “Fellowship Associate.” According to Destro, there are thousands of small Fellowship prayer groups all over the country.

Rep. Mike Doyle, D-PA

One of the politicians who lived in the C Street Center, a house that was connected to The Fellowship.

Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, R

The first president to host the National Prayer Breakfast. According to Jeff Sharlet, Eisenhower was reluctant to host the event fearing it would violate the constitutional belief of separating church and state, but ultimately agreed as he saw it as a powerful tool in combating the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Every president since Eisenhower has participated in the event.

Former Senator John Ensign, R-NV

One of the politicians who lived in the C Street Center, a house that was connected to The Fellowship. Ensign was involved in a public scandal and affair with his aide’s wife. According to Hampton’s interview in The Family, Ensign worked closely with Doug Coe, and both men hoped Ensign would some day be in the White House.

Former Rep. Janice Hahn, D-CA

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family, where she speaks of being ministered by Doug Coe.

Former Rep. Tony Hall, D-OH

Shown on an archived video being interviewed by Dean Curry alongside Doug Coe and former Rep. Bob McEwen, speaking about praying together at a bipartisan prayer group. Traveled on internationally on the behalf of The Fellowship, according to a title card in The Family.

Former Senate Aide Doug Hampton

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family, where he speaks about his public dispute with Senator John Ensign, his former employer and best friend. When Ensign slept with his wife, Hampton turned to his friend Doug Coe and the Fellowship for help, which he ultimately didn’t get.

Former Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-IL

Traveled internationally on the behalf of The Fellowship, according to a title card in The Family.

Senator James Inhofe, R-OK

Shown in an archived video speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast in Kenya in 2018 speaking about praying together with The Fellowship, and has taken several missionary trips to African countries throughout his career.

Senator James Lankford, R-OK

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family, where he speaks about a Wednesday bipartisan morning prayer meeting between himself and 25 senators.

Former Rep. Stephen Largent, R-OK

Named by Rep. Zach Wamp in his talking head interview for The Family as one of the original politicians who lived in the C Street Center, a house that was connected to The Fellowship.

Former Rep. Bob McEwen, R-OH

Listed as a “Fellowship associated” and shown on an archived video being interviewed by Dean Curry alongside Doug Coe and former Rep. Tony Hall, speaking about praying together at a bipartisan prayer group.

Oliver North, political commentator and former president of the National Rifle Association

Hosts an annual fundraiser called “Godly Guys with Guns” for the Wilberforce Foundation, a foundation that was listed alongside the Fellowship Foundation on the tax forms for the C Street house.

Former President Ronald Reagan, R

Shown in an archived video of his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1987 referencing The Fellowship. “Some wonderful things have come out of this fellowship,” Reagan said. “A number of public figures have changed as human beings, changed in ways I’d like to talk about, but it might reveal too much.”

Former Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford, R

A “friend of The Family,” according to Jeff Sharlet. Sanford made waves in 2009 when he refused money from Obama’s economic stimulus package for his state and called it “a road to slavery.” Soon after, Sanford temporarily “disappeared. His whereabouts were unknown for a week until he reappeared and disclosed he was having an extramarital affair. In that speech, he mentioned that he had been a part of C Street, and described it as a “Christian Bible study.” That speech put C Street and The Family in the limelight.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions

A “longtime associate of the Fellowship,” according to Jeff Sharlet in an interview for The Family.

Former Rep. Mark D. Siljander, R – MI

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family, where he speaks about meeting with Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi alongside Doug Coe. Siljander, who was no longer a Congressman when he took that trip to Coe, plead guilty to obstruction of justice in 2010 after he was accused of illegally lobbying on behalf of an Islamic charity that the U.S. government contends is linked to terrorism. According to Sharlet, Siljander was funneling the money for this lobbying through The Family.

Former Rep. Bart Stupak, D-MI

Named by Rep. Zach Wamp in his talking head interview for The Family as one of the original politicians who lived in the C Street Center, a house that was connected to The Fellowship.

President Donald Trump, R

Shown in an archived video talking about his late pastor Norman Vincent Peele, who, according to Sharlet, was a good friend of the Fellowship founder is Trump’s pastor and was a good friend of the Fellowship founder Abraham Vereide.

According to a tweet shown in The Family, Doug Coe reportedly visited Trump Tower shortly before his death in 2017.

Former Rep. Zach Wamp, R-TN

Featured in a talking head interview for The Family, identified as a “Fellowship Associate,” and one of five politicians who lived in the C-Street Center, a house that was connected to The Fellowship. In his interview, he insists there is nothing sinister or scandalous about The Fellowship.

Former Rep. Frank Wolf, R-VA

Listed as a “Fellowship associate” traveled on internationally on the behalf of The Fellowship, according to a title card in The Family.

Watch The Family on Netflix