Watchdog: Targeting of Catholics Goes Beyond FBI’s Claims

According to watchdog Judicial Watch, heavily redacted FBI documents revealed that the agency’s controversial targeting of Roman Catholics was more widespread than previously thought.

Judicial Watch reported the 98 pages it obtained through a Freedom of Information lawsuit, showing that the FBI memo that identified some Catholics as violent extremists due to their religious beliefs was reviewed by the agency’s Office of General Counsel and coordinated with Portland and Milwaukee officials.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, “These documents disprove the FBI’s narrative that the spy operation against Catholics and churches was limited to one field office. In fact, the operation seems to have been approved by top lawyers in the FBI.” Fitton called for a criminal inquiry into the scandal.

The FBI renounced the memo in February after it was leaked, claiming it was limited to “a single field office.” However, the House Judiciary Committee found that multiple FBI field offices worked to produce the memo targeting traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists.

Former congressman Tim Huelskamp, senior adviser to CatholicVote, criticized the FBI’s “unconstitutional targeting of faithful Catholics.” He claimed that the flagrantly anti-Catholic program was widespread, fully supported by senior officials, authorized undercover agents to infiltrate Catholic parishes, attempted to influence elections, and may be ongoing.

Mark Swanson is a Newsmax writer and editor with nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture, and politics. You can contact him at editorial.swanson@newsmax.com.