Title: "FBI's Widely Distributed Memo Targeting Catholic Groups Raises Concerns: Grassley Calls for Investigation
The FBI distributed an intelligence memo targeting Catholic groups to over 1,000 employees across the country during the Biden administration, a wider dissemination than previously acknowledged. The memo, labeled the "Richmond Domain Perspective," was not limited to the Richmond field office but involved multiple FBI divisions. It warned about "Radical Traditionalist Catholics" and received positive responses from other offices interested in monitoring Catholic groups flagged as "hate groups" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley obtained documents revealing the memo's broader reach and expressed concerns about potential bias in FBI field offices relying on the memo to target Catholic organizations. The memo, released in 2023 under the Biden administration, accused certain Catholic communities of harboring extremist ideologies, including anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist views. Despite FBI Director Christopher Wray's claim that the memo had been disavowed and withdrawn, Grassley's findings contradict this narrative.
The records show that the memo was circulated to various FBI offices, including Buffalo, Milwaukee, Portland, and Louisville, with at least one office acknowledging jurisdiction over the cited Catholic organizations. Grassley also uncovered a draft report, the Strategic Perspective Executive Analytic Report, which reiterated the memo's linking of traditionalist Catholics to violent extremism. He criticized the FBI for attempting to delete records related to the memo's distribution, accusing former Deputy Director Paul Abbate of ordering the scrubbing of materials from FBI systems on the day the memo became public.
Grassley called for an investigation into the FBI's deletion of records and demanded answers regarding the removal of documents listing FBI users who accessed the memo. He questioned whether the deletions were intended to obstruct Congress or internal investigators and urged the FBI to determine if any deleted materials can be recovered. The FBI did not provide a comment in response to the Washington Examiner's request for clarification. Grassley emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in light of the FBI's actions related to the memo targeting Catholic groups.