Hawley Demands Answers from Garland for Apparent Lie to Senate About FBI Targeting Catholics
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland Tuesday accusing him of providing false testimony to the Senate last month regarding the FBI seeking to develop informants in Catholic churches.
In an internal memo in January, the bureau’s Richmond, Virginia, field office stated that “[racially or ethnically motivated extremists] will continue to find [radical-traditionalist Catholic or RTC] ideology attractive and will continue to attempt to connect with RTC adherents, both virtually via social media and in-person at places of worship.”
The office assessed there are “opportunities for threat mitigation through exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.”
The memo cited information from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and articles from liberal media outlets Salon and The Atlantic for helping underpin the determination of the threat radical Catholics could pose.
Two Salon articles referenced included one titled, “’Traditional’ Catholics and white nationalist ‘groypers’ forge a new far-right youth movement” and another, “White nationalists get religion: On the far-right fringe, Catholics and racists forge a movement.”
The Atlantic story title was, “How Extremist Gun Culture is Trying to Co-opt the Rosary.”
During a March Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Hawley questioned Garland about the memo asking, “Are you cultivating sources and spies in Latin masses parishes and other parishes around the country?”
Last month: @HawleyMO asked AG Garland whether the FBI was targeting Catholic parishes. AG: “Justice Dept. does not do that.”
Now: the @Weaponization Comm. uncovered evidence that the FBI issued directives and used at least one undercover agent to spy on multiple parishes. https://t.co/TYZj7dIL26 pic.twitter.com/1QT385OuZn
— Tony Perkins (@tperkins) April 11, 2023
[firefly_poll]
‘No, the Justice Department does not do that. It does not do investigations based on religion,’” Garland answered. “I saw the document you sent. It’s appalling.”
“I’m in complete agreement with you. I understand that the FBI has withdrawn it and is now looking into how this could have ever had happened,” the attorney general added.
“How many informants do you have in Catholic churches across America?” Hawley also asked.
Garland responded, “I don’t know, and I don’t believe we have any informants aimed at Catholic churches. We have a rule against investigations based on First Amendment activity. And Catholic churches are obviously First Amendment activity.”
In his Tuesday letter, Hawley noted this back-and-forth they had in March and then asserted that all of Garland’s answers have been proven “false.”
Merrick Garland told me – under oath – the FBI was not targeting Catholic parishes. That appears to have been a lie. I want the truth ? pic.twitter.com/HE8ncapeYz
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 11, 2023
“Let’s be clear: your Department has decided to turn Catholic congregations into front organizations for the FBI, and when asked about it, you’ve decided to fudge the truth before Congress,” the senator wrote.
Hawley recounted that the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, had sought further information from the FBI regarding the memo and learned the bureau “does in fact have ‘informants aimed at Catholic churches.”
Additionally, the idea for the program came from an FBI “undercover employee.”
And the FBI also apparently contemplated engaging the leadership of Catholic traditionalist parishes for the purpose of enlisting their assistance “to serve as suspicious activity tripwires.”
Hawley concluded, “This shows the Department is clearly ‘cultivating sources and spies’ in Catholic parishes, regardless of what you claimed before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Based on this new information, Hawley had three questions for Garland. First, “How many undercover informants or other agents in Catholic parishes or other organizations does the Department work with or otherwise employ?”
The lawmaker also wanted to know the same regarding religious organizations in general. And finally, Hawley questioned how many other FBI field offices, besides Richmond, received guidance related to infiltrating traditionalist Catholic parishes.
On Monday, Jordan sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray also seeking further information concerning the bureau’s Catholic infiltration initiative.
We now know the FBI, relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee, sought to use local religious organizations as “new avenues for tripwire and source development.”
Chilling. pic.twitter.com/X6Ksb9ryoM
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 10, 2023
The congressman tweeted, “We now know the FBI, relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee, sought to use local religious organizations as ‘new avenues for tripwire and source development. Chilling.'”
