An FBI memo warning of a possible threat from “radical traditionalist” Catholics violated professional standards, but found “no evidence of malice,” according to an internal Justice Department investigation released Thursday. It is shown that there is no.
Republicans used an 11-page memo leaked early last year as a talking point. They pointed to the document as harshly critical of the agency and suggested, without evidence, that it was part of a broader campaign by the Biden administration to persecute Catholics and conservatives for their faith. .
The memo was quickly retracted after it was leaked, and law enforcement leaders have repeatedly distanced themselves from it.
An assessment by the Justice Department's watchdog agency found that FBI agents in Richmond, Virginia, improperly conflated the religious beliefs of activists with their potential to engage in domestic terrorism, as if they were subject to religious beliefs. It turned out that it was a facade.
But after a 120-day review of the case ordered by Congress, the department's Inspector General, Michael E. It said there was no evidence that the police had ordered or directed an investigation. Catholics because of their religion.
The FBI said in a statement Thursday that the inspector general's investigation is consistent with the bureau's own accounting.
“The FBI has stated multiple times that this intelligence product did not meet our rigorous standards and was immediately removed from FBI systems.” “We also stated that there was no intention or action to investigate Catholicism or anyone based on their religion.”
The FBI memo, drafted in late 2022 by analysts in the Richmond office and completed in January 2023 with other authors, shows potential threats from self-described Catholic extremists and “far-right white supremacists” in the run-up to the 2024 election. mentions the threat of .
The authors write that the overlap between these groups has created new opportunities for “threat mitigation,” the development of classified intelligence sources, and “exploring new avenues for tripwires,” which refer to early warning systems for domestic terrorism. There is.
The memo, known as a so-called awareness product, was written for office leaders and was intended to predict possible activity rather than provide a rigorous factual assessment. A similar memo was drafted to determine the impact of online sports betting on money laundering and other criminal activity after Virginia legalized online sports betting.
“Although there was no evidence of malice or improper purpose, the memo did not adhere to standards of analytical tradecraft and revealed errors in professional judgment,” Horowitz wrote.
After the release of the memo, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray tightened approval requirements for such reports and formally recommended the officers involved in the incident.
Richmond's memo spurred the department's investigation into the male Henrico County resident. The memo said the man described himself as a “radical traditional Catholic clerical fascist” with a history of illegally collecting weapons and making violent threats against liberals and racists. Says. There were many ethnic minorities and Jews, and it appeared that they were preparing to carry out some kind of terrorist attack within the country.
The man has not been identified, but the date and details of the incident appear in the docket of Xavier Lopez, who was indicted last June on federal weapons charges, pleaded guilty last month and has not yet been sentenced. It is the same as that shown. He called Mr. Lopez's attorney, but there was no immediate response.
The FBI's investigation into Mr. Lopez also included scrutiny of his interactions with members of conservative Catholic congregations unaffiliated with the local archdiocese he attended.
The department placed a confidential informant in the congregation to build a friendship with the man and determine whether he was trying to recruit other members “to carry out the attack,” the inspector general said. revealed. The FBI decided to send an informant because it was the only potential opportunity to establish regular contact with Mr. Lopez.
The inspector general said the informants were given strict orders to collect only information about their targets, not information about the church or other parishioners.
The Richmond office contacted officials in the Domestic Terrorism Division at the FBI's national headquarters in Washington to discuss preparing a report for the agency's leadership.
Headquarters analysts responded that they were “very interested in the resurgence of interest in the Catholic Church” among those identified as domestic violence extremists, but the memo was made public. As a result, the effort was halted, the inspector general said.
In a campaign speech, former President Donald J. Trump accused the administration of “violently and viciously targeting Catholics,” without specifically mentioning the memo.
Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have demanded answers from Mr. Wray and other Justice Department officials. ing.
Grassley said in a statement that the report leaves several important questions unanswered, including the department's decision to delete files related to the memo.
In April 2023, Mr. Jordan threatened to subpoena Mr. Ray unless he answered questions about the memo. It turned out to be unnecessary.
“The FBI proposed that FBI agents reach out to Catholic dioceses and develop sources among clergy and church leaders to provide information about Americans practicing their faith,” Jordan said at the time. Stated.
At a contentious hearing before Mr. Jordan's committee in July, Mr. Wray vehemently rejected claims that the department targeted Catholics. He said he was appalled by the memo, ordered it removed from FBI systems and ordered an internal investigation.
Seamus Hughes Contributed to the report.