Sen. Josh Hawley confronted FBI Director Christopher Wray over a report suggesting the agency’s investigation into traditional Catholics was more extensive than claimed. The report revealed FBI agents approached a priest and choir director to gather information on parishioners.

The House Judiciary Committee’s investigation focused on a leaked internal memo linking “radical traditionalist Catholics” to the far-right white nationalist movement. Wray argued the memo was rescinded, employees admonished, and salaries affected, but Hawley accused the FBI of targeting Catholics.

The report criticized the FBI for resisting transparency and called for decisive action to rebuild public trust.

The Catholic News Agency reports:

“Now we know that, in fact, FBI agents did approach a priest and a choir director to ask them to inform on parishioners,” Hawley told Wray during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Dec. 5.

The hearing followed the unveiling on Monday of the House Judiciary Committee’s report detailing the results of a monthslong investigation into a leaked internal FBI memo that discussed investigating Catholics as potential domestic terrorists.

“Good heavens, Director, this is one of the most outrageous targetings — you have mobilized your division, the most powerful law enforcement division in the world, against traditionalist Catholics … and you just told us you have not fired a single person,” Hawley said during the exchange.

Wray argued with Hawley, saying that he was conflating two distinct things: the memo that the Richmond FBI office has since rescinded and a separate investigation into a man who was amassing Molotov cocktails and making threats. In regard to the memo that targeted Catholics, Wray said employees have been admonished and their salaries may be affected.

“We do not and will not conduct investigations based on anybody’s exercise of their constitutionally protected religious [expression],” Wray claimed.

“You have done so, and your memo explicitly asks for it,” Hawley retorted.

The new report delved deeper into the FBI’s efforts to investigate traditionalist Catholics and the now-retracted Richmond FBI memo that alleged a link between so-called “radical traditionalist Catholics” and “the far-right white nationalist movement.” The memo suggested “trip wire or source development” within parishes that offer the traditional Latin Mass and within online communities.

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