The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed FBI Director Christopher Wray for records as part of an investigation into the bureau’s handling of an FBI field analysis that proposed further developing sources within a group of traditionalist Catholic chapels in Richmond, Virginia. The FBI is suspected of looking for signs of radicalization and burgeoning domestic violence extremism in traditional church services.
CBS reported after reviewing the letter that the committee chairman, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, accused the FBI of conducting “domestic violent extremism investigations against Catholic Americans” in response to an FBI memo ordering field agents to monitor and report on potential political radicalization within churches.
Regarding the Jan. 23 analysis, Jordan said the FBI had “relied on at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis” and that the bureau proposed “that its agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership to inform on Americans practicing their faith.”
“Based on the limited information produced by the FBI to the committee, we now know that the FBI relied on at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis, and that the FBI proposed that its agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership to inform on Americans practicing their faith,” Jordan added.
Christopher Dunham, acting assistant director for Congressional Affairs at the FBI, responded on March 23 to a request for information regarding the FBI’s assessment from earlier this year by stating that the “Domain Perspective (report) was withdrawn because it did not meet the FBI’s exacting standards.” Dunham elaborated on this claim by stating, “Upon learning of the document, FBI Headquarters removed it from our internal system. The FBI also initiated a review — which is now ongoing.”
Moreover, Dunham emphasized that “the FBI is not anti-Catholic in any way, shape, or form, and does not target people of any faith because of their religious beliefs.” And he told Jordan that the FBI “does not categorize investigations as domestic terrorism based on the religious beliefs—to include Catholicism—of the subject involved.” He also told Jordan that the FBI “does not categorize investigations as domestic terrorism based on the religious beliefs—to include Catholicism—of the subject involved.”
Multiple FBI supervisors, including a senior attorney at the Richmond field office, initially supported the FBI report, according to a review by CBS News of heavily redacted FBI documents. In the report, a “FBI UCE” (FBI covert employee) is mentioned as a source of information. In a subsequent section titled “Opportunities,” the report suggests using “Requests for Collection to leverage existing sources and/or Type 5 Assessments to develop new sources.”
As a result of the FBI report, the GOP-led committee stressed the need for “all FBI material responsive to our request” along with the FBI director’s cooperation by April 28. Jordan wrote, “Although the FBI claims to have ‘numerous’ and ‘rigorous’ policies to protect First Amendment rights, the FBI’s Richmond document plainly undercuts these assertions.”
The FBI has received the subpoena and is committed to cooperating with “congressional oversight requests consistent with its constitutional and statutory responsibilities,” according to an FBI statement.
When questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee in early March, Wray expressed shock, according to the FBI spokesperson. He told the committee that the FBI “immediately” retracted the report and that the analysis “does not reflect FBI standards.”
“We do not and will not target people for religious beliefs, and we do not and will not monitor people’s religious practices,” Wray told the panel on March 8. “That’s not acceptable.”