+34
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were told Friday
FBI director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington.
WASHINGTON — Several FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were told Friday that they were being fired, according to three people familiar with the matter, the latest wave of terminations under the leadership of Director Kash Patel. Two of the people said those fired included four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst.
All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss by name a personnel matter. The FBI declined to comment. The January 2023 intelligence product 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.
Then-director Chris Wray repeatedly denied that charge 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.
The firings are part of a broader personnel purge under Patel, a Trump loyalist who over the last 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 Trump took office last year.
In February, for instance, the FBI fired a group of counterintelligence agents who participated in the investigation into President Donald Trump over his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The Richmond memo, which emerged from 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.
An internal FBI review described in a 2023 letter to Congress and based on interviews with 26 people “found that all individuals involved in the creation, review and approval of the product failed to adhere to analytic tradecraft standards and failed to recognize that the product, as drafted, equated the subjects’ interest in their self-described form of religion with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology without sufficient evidence or articulable support. ” The failure to adhere to standards, including on proper domestic terrorism terminology, “created the appearance that the FBI conducts investigative activity based on religious affiliation,” the letter said.
“One of the FBI’s most fundamental principles is that investigative activity may not be based solely on the exercise of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. ” A Justice Department inspector general report in 2024 summarized the earlier FBI review by saying that though there were departures from proper analytic tradecraft, “no evidence of a malicious intent or an improper purpose” were found.
WASHINGTON — Several FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were told Friday that they were being fired, according to three people familiar with the matter, the latest wave of terminations under the leadership of Director Kash Patel. Two of the people WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued a memo Friday that calls for the U.S. military and national security agencies to accelerate their use of artificial intelligence, while acknowledging the need to protect civil liberties and maintain oversight over autonomous weapon systems.
The memo comes at a time of growing anxiety over AI in American Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressed concern Friday that a new factory isn’t expected to start breeding sterile New World screwworm flies for more than a year as a big part of the effort to stop its flesh-eating larvae from threatening the $113 U.S. billion cattle industry.
Abbott pledged Texas will help the U.S. Department of WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense announced on Friday a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes. The new list of 31 is down from more than 200 previously recognized traditions that troops could choose from. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.
“This decrease in WASHINGTON — Water has started flowing into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after President Donald Trump’s renovation, which included painting the basin a deep shade he called “American flag blue. ” This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump confirmed he will attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he doesn’t have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who can’t afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same.
“They can watch it on television,” Trump told reporters Colon cancer is one of the most common and deadliest types of cancer, and routine screenings are the best way to reduce your chances of becoming a statistic. Redmond HVAC contractor earns triple recognition in 60 days, reflecting a shift in how homeowners vet contractors Three independent organizations that evaluate home service contractors each reached the same conclusion: Home Comfort Alliance is among the most reliable in its market.
WSECU Community Champion: Chrystal Ortega’s mission to feed Spokane Chrystal Ortega's tireless dedication recently earned her the WSECU Community Champions Award and a $1,000 grant to further the mission. When Shawn Tibbitts opened Tibbitts FernHill, he was just trying to survive. The small Tacoma restaurant has since earned culinary awards and praise. Wilcox Family Farms is continuing its cherished holiday tradition of giving back by donating nearly one million eggs to food banks across the South Sound region this season.
Scratch the next story
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Catholic priest removed as exorcist over UFO commentsMonsignor Stephen Rossetti claimed “many, if not most,” UFO sightings could be explained as demonic activity.
Read more »
Parents have hope for future of Hoffman Estates Catholic school as Vatican agrees to review closureAfter 65 years, St. Hubert Catholic school officially closed for good last week when the school year ended. However, thanks to intervention from the Vatican, some parents have renewed hope that this is not the end for the school.
Read more »
Former Toledo Catholic school teacher, coach arrested for child sexual abuse material, FBI saysThe FBI said Patrick Russell had over 3,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Read more »
FBI analysts tied to disputed 'Catholic ideology' memo told they're being fired, AP sources saySeveral FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists” were told Friday that they were being fired, the latest wave of terminations under the leadership of Director Kash Patel.
Read more »