Yesterday, U.S. House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray seeking documents related to the FBI's attempt to monitor possible violent extremism among radical-traditionalist Catholics. In an April 10 Committee Press Release (full text), the Committee said in part:
From this limited production, it is apparent that the FBI, relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee, sought to use local religious organizations as “new avenues for tripwire and source development.”...
The FBI similarly noted two other opportunities to engage in outreach with religious institutions in the Richmond area, citing a desire “to sensitize the congregation to the warning signs of radicalization and enlist their assistance to serve as suspicious activity tripwires.” This outreach plan even included contacting so-called “mainline Catholic parishes” and the local “diocesan leadership.”
The subpoena cover letter (full text) says in part:
The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) handling of domestic violent extremism investigations against Catholic Americans and its effect on protected First Amendment activity....
We have repeatedly sought information from the FBI relating to a January 23, 2023 document generated by the Richmond Field Office entitled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities”.... In this document, the FBI purported to categorize Catholic Americans based on theological distinctions and relied on the Southern Poverty Law Center to suggest that certain kinds of Catholic Americans may be domestic terrorists.
A report by Bloomberg on the subpoena adds:
There was no immediate response from Wray, but he told senators last month that the document “does not reflect FBI standards” and the bureau “took steps immediately to withdraw it and remove it from FBI systems.”
“We do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop,” Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
