GOP lawmakers say the subpoenaed document shows how the FBI Portland and Los Angeles field offices contributed to the Richmond anti-Catholic memo
House Republicans claim that they obtained FBI documents prove that multiple field offices, including FBI Portland and FBI Los Angeles, created a memo that labeled traditionalist Catholics as “potential terrorists.”This revelation contradicts recent sworn testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In a letter addressed to Wray, Republican leaders on the House Judiciary Committee stated that the subpoenaed document reveals the participation or contribution of both field offices in assessing traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists.
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The implications of this new information are significant, suggesting a broader and more pervasive misuse of the FBI’s law enforcement capabilities to infringe upon Americans’ First Amendment rights. Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and co-chair Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) emphasized this point in their letter, highlighting the widening scope of the issue.
Additionally, this revelation directly contradicts Wray’s earlier statement to Congress, where he characterized the anti-Catholic initiative as originating from a single field office and resulting in a single product.
The leaked FBI Richmond internal memo, titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities,” was met with immediate criticism from Republicans upon its January release.
This memo categorized “radical-traditionalist Catholics” as potential “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists.” The document suggested that there exist prospects for enhancing threat mitigation by delving into novel approaches for tripwire and source development within the realm of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) subscribing to radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology.
After the memo was leaked, the FBI informed Fox News Digital that they had swiftly initiated measures to eliminate the document from FBI systems and commenced an assessment of the document’s underlying rationale.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Representatives Jordan and Johnson conveyed that their committee had been pursuing information related to the memo for several months. However, the FBI did not willingly comply with their request for information.
According to the lawmakers, on July 25, the FBI provided a revised version of the Richmond document, which contained fewer redactions compared to the two earlier versions they had received.
Republicans argue that this less-redacted version clarifies that investigations conducted on Catholic organizations in Los Angeles and Portland directly contributed to the content of the Richmond office memo.
“Most troubling is that a recently disclosed version of the document indicates that FBI Richmond ‘coordinated with [c] FBI Portland’ in preparing the assessment,” the legislators informed.
“This strongly suggests that the FBI Portland and FBI Los Angeles field offices played or contributed to the development of the FBI’s assessment of traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists,” they stated.
“The discovery prompts an investigation into why this information was previously redacted in earlier iterations of the document shared with the committee. It further underscores the committee’s insistence on obtaining all FBI materials related to the April 10 subpoena, which includes the FBI’s unredacted release of the Richmond document,” the legislators stressed.
In a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, the FBI contested the claims made by Republicans, suggesting that Director Wray’s testimony contradicted their findings in a newly disclosed version of the subpoenaed document:
“Director Wray’s testimony regarding this matter is accurate and consistent. Although the document refers to details from investigations conducted by other field offices regarding racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (RMVE) matters, this does not change the fact that the product was created by a single office.”
The FBI’s primary focus is on investigating violence, threats of violence, and violations of federal law. The agency maintains a firm commitment not to engage in investigations based solely on religious affiliations, practices, or any other activity protected under the First Amendment.
The FBI clarified, “To be clear, the document refers to a domain perspective that serves as an intelligence product designed to address potential threats in a specific area—that is, the jurisdiction covered by the Richmond Field Office.” However, due to the document’s failure to meet the FBI’s established standards, it was immediately withdrawn from all FBI systems. A comprehensive review has been launched to ascertain the circumstances of its origin.
Republicans requested additional documentation regarding the memo, the intelligence gathered based on the memo, and various related matters with the Richmond, Los Angeles, and Portland field offices. They extended the deadline for the agency’s response to August 23.