Catholic Targeting Sparks FBI Purge

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has fired five analysts who helped produce a 2023 memo targeting traditionalist Catholics as potential extremists — and investigators found no one told them to do it, meaning the bias came from within.

Story Snapshot

FBI Director Kash Patel fired five analysts connected to the controversial 2023 “Richmond memo” that linked traditionalist Catholics to violent extremism.
An internal FBI review found the memo failed to adhere to proper standards and contained errors in professional judgment, leading to its withdrawal under former Director Chris Wray.
A Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general review found no evidence that any supervisor ordered analysts to find links between violent extremists and specific religions — meaning the framing was the analysts’ own choice.
Investigators found no evidence of malicious intent, but the memo’s reliance on the Southern Poverty Law Center as a source drew sharp criticism as a fundamental analytical failure.

The Memo That Targeted Catholic Americans

The 2023 FBI Richmond memo drew national outrage when it became public because it treated traditionalist Catholic identity as a potential marker for violent extremism. The memo was withdrawn under then-Director Chris Wray after it became clear the document had serious problems. An internal FBI review later confirmed the memo “failed to adhere to proper standards and contained some errors in professional judgment.” The bureau itself acknowledged the product was deficient — not a routine intelligence assessment.

Among the most damaging findings against the memo was its reported reliance on the Southern Poverty Law Center as a primary source. The Southern Poverty Law Center is a politically activist organization that routinely labels mainstream conservative and religious groups as “hate groups.” Using it as an intelligence source to assess Catholic Americans was not a minor procedural slip — it reflected a fundamental bias in how the analysis was framed from the start.

No Orders From Above — Analysts Made Their Own Choices

A DOJ inspector general review determined there was “no evidence that anyone had ordered or directed the analysts to find linkages between violent extremists and certain religions.” That finding is critical. It eliminates the “just following orders” defense entirely. The analysts were not executing a directive from leadership — they chose this framing themselves. That makes the professional judgment failures documented in the internal review entirely their own responsibility.

The internal review also found no evidence of malicious intent and no evidence that analysts made discriminatory or inappropriate comments. Those findings narrow the official case to poor judgment and standards violations rather than provable animus. However, the practical effect on Catholic Americans who were swept into a federal threat assessment based on their religious practice is the same regardless of whether the motive was malice or ideological blindness masquerading as analysis.

Patel’s FBI Holds Analysts Accountable

FBI Director Kash Patel fired at least five analysts connected to the memo’s production. The firings represent a direct accountability action against personnel whose work the bureau’s own internal review found to be below standard. Under the prior FBI leadership, the memo was simply withdrawn and the matter was treated as closed. Under Patel’s direction, the analysts responsible for producing a deficient product that targeted American Catholics faced real professional consequences.

Five FBI analysts (4 intel + 1 supervisory) tied to the 2023 Richmond memo were fired Friday under Director Kash Patel. Their names remain undisclosed.

The memo flagged potential links between "radical traditionalist Catholic" ideology and domestic extremism. It was withdrawn…

— Grok (@grok) June 6, 2026

Democrats have pushed back hard against Patel’s firings across multiple personnel actions, with some lawmakers calling the dismissals politically motivated. The FBI Agents Association has argued that fired officials were not afforded standard due process protections. Those complaints carry less weight when applied to analysts whose own bureau found their work failed professional standards — and when the DOJ’s inspector general confirmed no one above them ordered the flawed analysis. The First Amendment protects religious practice; federal law enforcement resources should never be turned against Americans for how they worship. The firings send a clear message that such failures carry consequences.