FBI Purge Over Anti-Catholic Memo

Five Federal Bureau of Investigation analysts just lost their jobs over a 2023 memo that targeted traditionalist Catholics as potential extremists — and the “just following orders” defense isn’t going to save them.

Story Snapshot

The FBI fired at least five analysts connected to a 2023 internal memo that linked traditionalist Catholics to violent extremism, with an internal review finding the memo failed to meet professional standards.
The memo was withdrawn under then-FBI Director Chris Wray after it drew sharp criticism for appearing to treat religious identity as a marker for extremist threat assessment.
A Department of Justice inspector general review found no evidence that supervisors ordered analysts to find links between violent extremists and specific religions — meaning the framing came from the analysts themselves.
FBI Director Kash Patel carried out the firings as part of a broader effort to hold accountable those responsible for politically and institutionally compromised work product.

The Memo That Targeted Catholics

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fired at least five analysts who were involved in producing a withdrawn 2023 internal intelligence memo that attempted to link traditionalist Catholic ideology to violent extremism. ^[1] An internal FBI review found the memo “failed to adhere to proper standards and contained some errors in professional judgment.” ^[1] The Richmond, Virginia field office produced the document, which drew immediate criticism when it became public for appearing to treat religious practice as a security threat indicator.

The memo was withdrawn under former FBI Director Chris Wray, signaling that bureau leadership recognized it as a deficient product. ^[1] Critics pointed to the memo’s reported reliance on material from the Southern Poverty Law Center — an organization with its own documented political biases — as evidence that the analysts imported ideological framing into what should have been a neutral threat assessment. ^[1] For millions of American Catholics, the document represented exactly the kind of government overreach that erodes constitutional religious liberty protections.

No Orders From Above — Analysts Made Their Own Choices

A Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general review found no evidence that anyone ordered or directed the analysts to find linkages between violent extremists and certain religions. ^[1] That finding is critical. It eliminates the institutional-directive defense and places responsibility squarely on the individual analysts who chose to frame their assessment the way they did. The internal review also found no evidence of discriminatory or inappropriate comments by the analysts, narrowing the dispute to whether their analytical choices reflected bias or simply poor judgment. ^[1]

The internal FBI investigation did conclude there was no evidence of malicious intent by those who drafted the memo. ^[1] That finding matters for calibrating the severity of the misconduct — this appears to be a case of serious professional failure rather than a deliberate anti-Catholic conspiracy. But the absence of proven malice does not excuse the product. Analysts are accountable for what they produce and approve, regardless of whether they consciously intended to target a religious group. Standards failures with real-world consequences demand real accountability.

Patel’s FBI Holds the Line on Accountability

FBI Director Kash Patel has moved aggressively to clean house at the bureau, firing personnel connected to multiple episodes of institutional misconduct. ^[3] The terminations tied to the Richmond memo follow a pattern of Patel using his authority to remove employees whose work reflected poor judgment, political bias, or failure to follow professional standards. Democratic lawmakers have pushed back, with some calling the firings politically motivated, but the documented standards failures in the memo undercut that defense. ^[4]

FBI fires 5 employees tied to controversial 2023 memo on traditionalist Catholics

The FBI has reportedly fired five employees connected with a controversial 2023 intelligence memo that tied white supremacist extremist ideology to traditionalist Catholic communities.

According… pic.twitter.com/4SPTKti9EE

— Feisty-n-Friends (@FriendsFeisty) June 6, 2026

The broader public record remains incomplete — the actual memo text has not been publicly released, and individualized disciplinary findings for each of the five fired employees have not been disclosed. ^[1] That transparency gap is frustrating, but it does not change the core accountability picture. The FBI’s own internal review condemned the memo, the DOJ inspector general found no justifying directive from above, and five analysts are now out of a job. For conservatives who have watched the FBI operate with minimal accountability for years, these firings represent a meaningful, if overdue, correction.