Anti-Catholic FBI memo's origin revealed as bureau absolved of 'malicious intent'

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been exonerated by a Department of Justice reappraisal that recovered investigators did not mean to people accepted Catholics arsenic imaginable "racially oregon ethnically motivated convulsive extremists."

The Justice Department Inspector General reappraisal noted, however, that analysts "incorrectly conflated" an investigative subject's spiritual views with his alleged home coercion activities. 

Findings from the 120-day review, which was handled by Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz and ordered by Congress, were outlined successful a letter sent to members of Congress connected Thursday.

An FBI Richmond, Virginia, internal memo, titled "Interest of Racially oregon Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists successful Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities," was leaked successful January 2023 and drew instant disapproval from Republicans, who demanded contiguous answers from the agency.

According to the inspector general's report, the memo, which has been dubbed the "Richmond Product," was circulated amid an probe of a perchance convulsive idiosyncratic who was identified successful the study arsenic "Defendant A" and has since been arrested.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation office gathering is seen successful Washington, D.C., connected July 3, 2023. (Getty Images)

Though Defendant A was not been identified successful the report, the dates and details of the lawsuit lucifer the case against Xavier Lopez, who was indicted connected national weapons charges past June.

The FBI had been monitoring the fishy since 2019 owed to his extremist views connected societal media, according to the inspector general's review. 

The reappraisal stated that the fishy expressed neo-Nazi rhetoric and described himself arsenic a "Catholic clerical fascist." The FBI said helium wrote successful a missive to a household subordinate that helium needed to "build guns, explosives, and different forms of weaponry" successful bid to "make full warfare against the Satanic occultist authorities and the Zionist devil worshiping bankers who power it."

The indictment against Lopez did not notation the religion helium attended oregon that helium was monitored up of his apprehension successful November 2022, erstwhile a hunt of his flat uncovered Molotov cocktails and firearms helium was not allowed to possess. Lopez was connected probation astatine the clip aft pleading blameworthy to felony vandalism for slashing tires.

Though the probe was appropriate, the inspector general's reappraisal criticized aspects of the memo informing astir imaginable extremism wrong definite Catholic churches that was shared by the FBI's Richmond tract office.

"The [FBI Inspection Division] study recovered that though determination was nary grounds of malicious intent oregon an improper purpose, the [memo] failed to adhere to analytic tradecraft standards and evinced errors successful nonrecreational judgment, including that it lacked capable grounds oregon articulable enactment for a narration betwixt RMVEs (Racially Motivated Violent Extremists) and alleged RTC (Radical Traditional Catholicism) ideology; incorrectly conflated the subjects’ spiritual views with their RMVE activities, creating the quality that the FBI had inappropriately considered spiritual beliefs and affiliation arsenic a ground for conducting investigative activity; and reflected a deficiency of grooming and consciousness concerning due home coercion terminology," the inspector wide noted.

One of the FBI analysts progressive successful the instauration of the memo maintained that the extremity was to alteration FBI Richmond to behaviour outreach to these "faith communities to marque them alert of what we would telephone informing signs to radicalization, for the extortion of everybody." 

The inspector wide noted successful his appraisal that helium and his squad "did not find grounds that anyone ordered oregon directed" the individuals liable for crafting the memo "to find a nexus betwixt RMVEs and any circumstantial religion oregon governmental affiliation … oregon that determination was immoderate underlying argumentation absorption concerning specified a link."

The inspector wide said a reappraisal of substance messages and different conversations had betwixt those who crafted the memo astatine the clip "did not place immoderate grounds of discriminatory oregon inappropriate comments by them" astir the religion successful question successful the FBI's probe "or individuals who practiced a peculiar spiritual religion oregon held circumstantial governmental beliefs."

The inspector wide besides noted that helium and his squad did not find grounds that the FBI took immoderate investigative steps involving the religion but to show the suspect's interactions. Investigators said they interviewed religion members astir the defendant's alleged intent to incite violence.

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Findings from the 120-day review, which was handled by Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz and ordered by Congress, were outlined successful a missive sent to members of Congress connected Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"We recovered that FBI Richmond utilized these investigative techniques to get accusation astir Defendant A and not to hole the Richmond DP oregon cod quality much generally," Horowitz wrote.

Based connected findings by the FBI Inspection Division, the inspector wide noted that the FBI "instituted corrective actions, including expanding grooming connected analytical tradecraft standards and home coercion terminology, enhancing reappraisal and support requirements for quality products involving a delicate investigative matter, and formally admonishing the employees involved."

"We did not assess, and truthful bash not remark on, the corrective actions taken by the FBI," helium said.

Following Horowitz's study to Congress, the FBI released a connection applauding him for his enactment and concluded that it aligns with their past remarks connected the incident.

"We convey the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General for its review. The FBI has said galore times that the quality merchandise did not conscionable our exacting standards and was rapidly removed from FBI systems," the bureau said. "We besides person said determination was nary intent oregon actions taken to analyse Catholics oregon anyone based connected religion; this was confirmed by the findings of the OIG."

"The FBI’s ngo is to support our communities from imaginable threats portion simultaneously upholding the law rights of each Americans. We bash not behaviour investigations based solely connected First Amendment protected activity, including spiritual practices," it added.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies earlier the Senate Judiciary Committee successful the Hart Senate Office Building connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C., connected Dec. 5, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Lopez was indicted successful June 2023 successful national tribunal connected 1 number of possessing ammunition portion a convicted felon and 1 number of possessing destructive devices. In March of this year, helium pleaded blameworthy to possessing destructive devices. His sentencing is scheduled to instrumentality spot successful September.

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Horowitz noted that determination were preliminary discussions with the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Strategic Unit to draught a akin memo to nonstop to much tract offices, but "those discussions ended pursuing the [memo] becoming public."

Fox News' Thomas Phippen, Jake Gibson and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.