FBI fires analysts tied to ‘Catholic ideology’ memo

By CathNews New Zealand

June 9th, 2026

(Wikimedia Commons)

Several Federal Bureau of Investigation analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo in the United States warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were fired last week. Source: CruxNow.

The fired employees included four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst.

The January 2023 intelligence document produced by analysts in the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia, field office emerged as a political flashpoint after it was issued, with Republicans in Congress repeatedly citing it as part of their broader contention that the FBI during the Biden administration was targeting conservatives.

The Richmond memo, which followed a domestic terrorism investigation, sought to examine a potential link between what it called “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” ideology and racially and ethnically motivated extremists. It warned of the potential for violence and also highlighted what the authors described as “new avenues for tripwire and source development”. FBI leadership quickly condemned those findings once the document became public.

Then-FBI director Chris Wray repeatedly denied targeting conservatives and the FBI has said the document was quickly retracted and an internal review was launched. Merrick Garland, the attorney general under President Joe Biden, has said he was “appalled” by the memo.

Earlier Justice Department investigations into the memo challenged the analytical tradecraft but did not find intentional misconduct by the analysts involved.

The lawyer for those fired, David Laufman, said, “This action [the firings] is manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts and subverts standard FBI policy and procedure”. The FBI declined to comment.

Current FBI director Kash Patel is a President Trump loyalist who, over the past year, has pushed out dozens of employees who either contributed to investigations of the President or who were perceived as not in alignment with the administration’s agenda. The Justice Department has engaged in similarly sweeping firings of prosecutors since President Trump took office last year.

FULL STORY

FBI fires several analysts tied to disputed ‘Catholic ideology’ memo (By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer/Associated Press/CruxNow)