FBI Director Christopher A. Wray declined to tell Congress who authored and approved a memo encouraging agents to develop sources inside Catholic parishes across the country as part of its efforts to crack down on domestic terrorism.
In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Wray said he couldn’t disclose to Congress the identities of who drafted and OK’d the memo because of an “ongoing internal review.”
The response was met with deep skepticism from Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican.
“We, the Congress, and the American people have to wait until you do an internal review — it’s not even a criminal review — before we can talk to the people who wrote this?” Mr. Jordan said.
Mr. Wray pledged to give lawmakers a briefing on the review’s findings, which he said should be completed this summer. However, he declined to say if he would identify the individuals who drafted and approved the memo.
In January, a former FBI agent published a memo created by the agency’s Richmond, Virginia, office saying that “radical-traditionalist Catholics” adhere to an “anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and white supremacist ideology,” adding that they are prone to “extremist ideological beliefs and violent rhetoric.”
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Mr. Wray sought to distance himself from the memo, saying he was “aghast” when he learned about the memo and ordered it immediately withdrawn.
“This is not a product I will defend and excuse,” Mr. Wray said, adding that the memo “did not result in any investigative action.”
Mr. Jordan said the memo is an example of a “weaponized” FBI targeting conservatives while protecting the left.
“Politics was the motivation here,” Mr. Jordan said. “That is what is scary. That is what is so frightening. I don’t know. Five people signed off on this. Five people.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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