FBI fires analysts who worked on "Richmond memo" about Catholic extremist ideology, sources say
The FBI has fired at least five analysts tied to a withdrawn memo on Radical Traditionalist Catholic ideology, according to sources.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The FBI has removed analysts involved in a 2023 Richmond field office memo that examined links between extremist violence and radical Catholic views. The memo was later withdrawn, reviewed internally, and criticized by Trump allies as evidence of anti-Christian bias.
It is like a school removing staff who wrote a report that caused a big fight. The report was later pulled back, and reviews said it had mistakes but no proof of bad intentions. Now the firing itself has become part of a bigger political argument.
Analysis
What happened
CBS News reports that the FBI has fired at least five analysts who helped create a withdrawn 2023 intelligence memo from the Richmond field office. The memo examined possible links between ethnically motivated violent extremists and what it called "Radical Traditionalist Catholic" ideology.
Why the memo became controversial
The memo was withdrawn under former FBI Director Chris Wray. An internal review later found no evidence of malicious intent by the people who drafted it, but concluded that it did not meet proper standards and included mistakes in professional judgment. The review led the FBI to add corrective steps for approving intelligence products, and the employees involved were admonished.
A separate review by the Justice Department’s then-inspector general also found no evidence that anyone ordered analysts to connect violent extremists with particular religions. It also found no evidence that the analysts made discriminatory or inappropriate comments.
Political fallout
Despite those findings, the memo has remained a target for Trump allies. The article says it was included in a report from the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, created by one of Trump’s executive orders. That report argued that the FBI had monitored traditional Catholics who had done nothing criminal and criticized the Richmond office’s reliance on the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The firings add to a wider set of removals of FBI and Justice Department staff tied to matters opposed by the Trump administration, including personnel connected to Trump criminal cases and some FACE Act prosecutions. The FBI declined to comment on the latest dismissals.
Key points
- At least five FBI analysts were fired over their role in a withdrawn 2023 Richmond memo.
- The memo examined links between extremist violence and Radical Traditionalist Catholic ideology.
- Internal reviews found no malicious intent, but did find professional mistakes and poor standards.
- Trump allies have used the memo as evidence of anti-Christian bias.
- The firings are part of a broader wave of removals tied to disputes with the Trump administration.
If the FBI’s corrective steps improve review standards, future intelligence products may be vetted more carefully before they are released. That could reduce errors and make politically sensitive work less likely to trigger public backlash.
The firings could deepen concerns that personnel decisions are being driven by politics rather than process. That may chill internal analysis and keep the memo controversy alive as a proxy fight over religion, bias, and Trump-era enforcement.
