Catholic Group Sues DOJ, FBI In Leaked Anti-Catholic Memo Case

CatholicVote Sues FBI and DOJ Over FOIA Request

CatholicVote, a faith-based advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department and FBI for failing to provide a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to a leaked memo from the bureau targeting “Radical Traditional Catholics.”

The group claims that federal authorities have refused to turn over legal documents and communications to them after filing a FOIA request on March 8. Due to the delay in response, President Brian Burch told Fox News that the Biden Justice Department had left them with no choice but to sue federal authorities, demanding why they planned to spy on Catholic churches and treat its members as domestic terrorists.

Leaked Memo Draws Attention to Radical-Traditional Catholics

Last month, FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin published a leaked document from the bureau’s Richmond Field Office that explicitly points to “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” The document drew attention to the so-called Radical-Traditional Catholic, which authorities described as someone who rejects the Second Vatican Council as a valid church council, shows disdain for most of the popes elected since Vatican II, and frequently adheres to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacy views.

Following the leak of the unclassified intelligence document, FBI authorities purged its system and began reviewing the basis for it. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently said during congressional testimony the memo “does not reflect FBI standards.”

CatholicVote Demands Transparency

CatholicVote said the subpoena from Rep. Jim Jordan confirmed “that the leaked memo, originally disavowed under oath by Attorney General Garland as an isolated incident initiated by a low-level rogue agent, was actually approved by senior intelligence analysts and distributed to field offices across the country.”

“We are demanding transparency from our government and are determined to uncover just how high up the anti-Catholic bigotry goes,” Burch said.

The FBI and DOJ did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment on the lawsuit.

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