House Judiciary Committee: FBI Offices Targeted 'Radical' Catholics

Facts

• The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday released a less-redacted internal FBI document suggesting that the agency labeled some Catholics as “extremists” and targeted them with far greater frequency than Director Christopher Wray admitted to the committee.¹
• Multiple FBI field offices contributed to a memo that labeled some traditionalist Catholics as “potential terrorists," contradicting Wray's July sworn congressional testimony that claimed the FBI’s Catholic investigation was “a single product by a single field office.”²
• A redacted version of a January memo into “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists in Radical Catholic Ideology” drew criticism, as many believed the FBI was targeting the religious group. In March, Wray said the memo came from the Richmond, Va., office and the FBI took immediate steps to “withdraw it and remove it.”³
• However, the House Judiciary Committee’s new press release shows that the FBI’s Portland and Los Angeles offices also contributed to the memo, suggesting that the FBI’s alleged targeting of Catholics was “more widespread than initially suspected.”⁴
• Committee Chairmen Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent a letter to Wray about the new information contradicting his testimony. After the FBI didn't respond to an April subpoena, the committee said it could seek contempt proceedings if the agency didn’t “substantially improve its compliance” on July 17.⁵
• A week later, the FBI handed over additional files surrounding their Catholic initiative. Jordan and Johnson have now asked for a list of “FBI intelligence products” cited in the report and the “liaison contact” from the Portland and LA offices. Wray has until Aug. 22 to comply with the requests.³

Sources: ¹Wall Street Journal, ²FOX News, ³New York Post, ⁴Catholic News Agency, and ⁵The Post Millennial.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by ZeroHedge. It was already confirmed that, as suspected, the FBI has slandered and targeted Catholics as “white supremacist extremists," but we now know that this insidious campaign was even more widespread than initially thought. In addition to attacking a religious group for having beliefs that don’t align with regime orthodoxy, the FBI’s director lied about the extent of this effort. It seems that anyone can be labeled a “white supremacist terrorist” for any unpopular belief.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The New York Times. Violent extremism is on the rise from the right wing, and some far-right factions of Catholics are part of a coalition that seeks to undermine democracy. Religious extremism and terror aren’t a novel threat, and rhetoric coming from “traditional Catholics” sounds quite similar to far-right radicals who have attacked abortion centers and even stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Not all Catholics are extremists, but we shouldn't turn a blind eye to those that are.