The Justice Department on Thursday released a report outlining how the FBI tied some traditional Catholic beliefs to domestic extremism and scrutinized two priests during the Biden administration.
The findings, issued by the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group, focus on a 2023 internal FBI document produced by the bureau’s Richmond Field Office and referred to as the “Richmond Domain Perspective.”
According to the Justice Department, the FBI assessment connected views widely held by many conservative Catholics with concerns about violent extremism. The materials pointed to practices and positions such as the Traditional Latin Mass, opposition to abortion, conservative family values and a “rejection of modernity” as potential warning signs.
The DOJ said agents looked into two priests, tracking their travel and communications as part of the inquiry. The FBI later determined there was no evidence linking either priest to criminal conduct or violent extremism.
The report further concluded that the FBI drew on biased and unverified sources, including Southern Poverty Law Center publications and foreign intelligence materials, without conducting an adequate review of their reliability.
Internal FBI reviews later determined that the Richmond assessment wrongly mixed Catholic doctrine with violent extremism and failed to consider First Amendment protections, according to the DOJ.
Despite those findings, the department said FBI leaders took little corrective action. Employees involved in producing the document received positive performance reviews, and officials in the Richmond office continued defending and refining the assessment, even after it was removed from FBI systems.
President Donald Trump ordered a review of the weaponization of federal agencies shortly after returning to office in January 2025. The DOJ said it reviewed more than 1,800 pages of internal emails, assessments, and investigative records while preparing the report.
The department has since removed key FBI employees responsible for the Richmond document.
“This Department of Justice will not tolerate a weaponized bureaucracy that chills First Amendment activity,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “The individuals who developed the Richmond Domain Perspective are no longer with the Department.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the employees behind the Richmond Catholic memo have been held accountable and vowed to prevent similar abuses, “Weaponization will never be tolerated at this FBI. Even while those who developed the unacceptable Richmond Catholic memo under the previous administration have been held accountable, releasing information to the public about what occurred under the prior regime is an important part of the process. I want to thank the Weaponization Working Group for their partnership as well as Attorney General Todd Blanche for his leadership addressing these abuses and making sure they never happen again.”