FIRST ON FOX: The FBI interviewed a priest and a church choir director as part of its investigation into traditional Catholics, a House Weaponization Committee report obtained by Digital revealed. The report states that subpoenaed documents show that there “was no legitimate basis for the memorandum to insert federal law enforcement into Catholic houses of worship.” The House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government have been investigating the FBI’s categorization of certain Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists after an FBI Richmond internal memo, titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.”
According to the report, the committee found that the FBI “abused its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists.” The committee discovered that the FBI relied on at least one undercover agent to develop its assessment and even proposed developing sources among the Catholic clergy and church leadership. The report also reveals that the FBI interview of a priest and choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia was used to “inform on the parishioner under investigation.”
Whistleblower disclosures played a crucial role in exposing the FBI’s actions. Without these disclosures, the memo would still be operative in FBI systems, violating the religious liberties of millions of Catholic Americans. The committee found “errors” made “at every step of the drafting, review, approval, and removal process of the memorandum.” The basis of the Richmond memo relied on a single investigation in which the subject ‘self-described’ as a ‘radical-traditionalist Catholic.’ However, FBI employees could not define the meaning of an RTC when preparing, editing, or reviewing the memorandum.
The FBI has denied conducting an investigation based on religion and has claimed that the memo was quickly removed from FBI systems upon discovery. The FBI clarified that the document was a domain perspective, designed to address potential threats in a particular area, and that it failed to meet FBI standards. A review has been launched to determine how it was produced in the first place.
The report also reveals that investigations into Catholic organizations in Los Angeles and Portland fed into the Richmond office memo. The documents obtained by the committee’s subpoena show that “the FBI singled out Americans who are pro-life, pro-family, and support the biological basis for sex and gender distinction as potential domestic terrorists.”
The revelations in the House Committee report have raised concerns about potential religious profiling and abuse of counterterrorism tools by the FBI. The investigation into the FBI’s actions continues, with calls for transparency and accountability. Critics argue that the targeting of traditional Catholics is a violation of religious liberties and an overreach of federal law enforcement.
Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been leading the charge in exposing these alleged abuses. Calls for FBI Director Christopher Wray’s ouster have also grown among hardline conservatives.
As this story unfolds, it highlights the need for oversight and accountability in law enforcement agencies, particularly when it comes to potential abuses of power and violations of civil liberties. The implications of this investigation extend beyond the Catholic community, raising questions about the broader use of counterterrorism tools and the protection of constitutional rights.
Brooke Singman is a Digital politics reporter. You can reach her at [email protected] or @BrookeSingman on Twitter. Stay updated with the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more politics content by subscribing to her newsletter.
