Heavily redacted records show FBI's targeting of Catholics went beyond what it claimed: watchdogA conservative government watchdog has released almost 100 pages of FBI documents it says show the agency was not fully forthcoming about its actions surveilling and targeting Catholic churches.
"FBI Director Christopher Wray had told congressmen that the memo was ‘a single product by a single field office,’ but the records uncovered by Judicial Watch show that it was "Reviewed by: OGC/CDC [Office of General Counsel/Chief Deputy Counsel],'" Judicial Watch posted in a press release Friday.
Judicial Watch obtained the documents through a FOIA request related to an internal FBI memo leaked earlier this year, which revealed that the agency had efforts underway to identify and treat Catholics as "potential terrorists."
"The records also indicate coordination with officials from Portland and Milwaukee," the press release said.
The FBI Richmond internal memo, titled "Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities," was leaked in January and drew instant criticism from Republicans.
It identified "radical-traditionalist Catholic
" as potential "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists" and said that "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.
FBI Director Christopher Wray and the agency have previously claimed the memo was related to a single FBI field office in Richmond.
Following the leak of the memo, the FBI told Fox News Digital "headquarters quickly began taking action to remove the document from FBI systems and conduct a review of the basis for the document...........
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heavily-redacted-records-show-fbis-targeting-catholics-went-beyond-theyve-claimed-watchdog
