Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley got into a near shouting match Tuesday with FBI Director Christopher Wray over a memo targeting traditional Catholics.
The FBI retracted a leaked memo from the Richmond field office advising the Bureau to infiltrate groups of Roman Catholics who prefer Latin mass due to their supposed potential of committing domestic terrorism. The document accused traditional Catholics, who attend the pre-1970 Latin Mass, as being susceptible to “anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and white supremacist ideology.”
Wray had previously told Congress no FBI informants were placed inside churches holding Latin masses to investigate these alleged traits, though Hawley said agents approached a priest and a choir director to obtain information. Hawley accused Wray of “deliberately” misleading the public and Congress on the intentional targeting of Catholics.
Wray said the memo referred to one specific individual who built molotov cocktails and threatened to kill people on social media, leading the agents to talk to witnesses who knew this individual. He argued the memo is “transparent” about the investigation relating to this one person.
“No, I don’t think so at all,” Hawley said. “In fact, the only reason we know this is is a whistleblower has come forward and told the House under oath that the FBI went and interviewed priests and choir directors in the Richmond area. The House goes on to say that the FBI has repeatedly refused to disclose this information. The only reason we know it is because a whistleblower came forward with it. Just like the only reason we know about this memo is because a whistleblower came forward with it.” (RELATED: ‘It’s Political Motivation’: Jim Jordan Confronts FBI Director On Targeting Traditional Catholics)
The House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government learned “at least one” undercover FBI agent interviewed at least one priest and one choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, according to a report obtained by Fox News. The committee said the memo relied on a single investigation in the Richmond Field Office’s area of responsibility in which the subject ‘self-described’ as a ‘radical-traditionalist Catholic.’
Hawley asked how many parishes have been questioned by FBI agents.
“Look, senator. We do not and will not conduct investigations based on anybody’s exercise of their constitutionally protected right,” Wray said.
“You have done it so, and your memo explicitly asks for it,” the senator said. “Your memo labels traditional Catholics as racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists in need of investigation! You have a list of churches, a list in the memo. You’ve repeatedly said, ‘We don’t target churches.’ They’re listed in the memo! So how many other parishes have you gone to to talk to choir directors for heaven’s sake?”
“As I’ve —” Wray began.
“Do you know the answer to that question?” Hawley interrupted.
“No, I don’t know the answer to that question. But I can tell you that we don’t investigate people for their exercise of their constitutionally protected religious expression,” Wray said. “It was in a particular intelligence product. It was something as soon as I saw it, I was aghast. I had it withdrawn.”
“You were aghast?” Hawley said.
“Yes, I was. Yes sir,” he said.
“And what have you done about it? Did you fire the people who wrote it?” Hawley asked. “Have you fired anybody involved in it?”
“Senator, if you would give me a chance to answer your question,” Wray said.
“That’s a yes or a no. It’s not hard. Have you fired anyone involved in the writing of that outrageous memo, about which frankly you’ve repeatedly misled the public?” the senator asked. “Yes or no?”
Wray said the individuals who wrote it were not involved in any “bad faith conduct” and many were themselves Catholics. Hawley said Wray has not done “a darn thing” on one of the “most outrageous” thing the FBI has done. The FBI director said the individuals involved in creating the memo have “been admonished.”
Hawley raised his voice once Wray accused him of conflating the issue.
“No I’m not. I am taking your testimony where you said you do not. You said categorically, categorically you said, ‘We do not.’ ‘We do not go to priests, and ask them about their parishioners.’ You said, ‘We do not.’ You didn’t say, ‘We haven’t.’ You didn’t say, ‘We won’t.’ You said, ‘We don’t!’ And it turns out you do and you kept it from the public. You deliberately misled Congress and the only reason we know about it is because a whistleblower came forward!”