The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been exonerated by a Department of Justice review that found investigators did not intend to target traditional Catholics as potential “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists.” Despite this, an internal FBI memo linking radical-Traditionalist Catholic ideology with potentially violent extremists drew criticism from Republicans and sparked an investigation. The memo was circulated amid an investigation into an individual identified as “Defendant A,” who was later revealed to be Xavier Lopez. Lopez was monitored by the FBI due to his extremist views on social media, which included neo-Nazi rhetoric and a desire to wage war against the government. The memo, known as the “Richmond Product,” warned about extremism within certain Catholic churches, but was criticized for lacking evidence and professional judgment. The inspector general’s review found that while the investigation was appropriate, there were errors in the memo’s creation.
The inspector general’s review highlighted that although there was no evidence of malicious intent in creating the memo, it failed to adhere to analytic tradecraft standards and improperly conflated religious views with potentially violent activities. The FBI analyst involved in creating the memo stated that outreach to faith communities was the goal, in order to identify warning signs of radicalization. However, the inspector general did not find evidence that anyone directed the crafting of the memo to link racially motivated violent extremists with any specific religion or political affiliation. Further investigation revealed that the FBI did not take any investigative steps involving the church in question, other than monitoring the suspect’s interactions and interviewing church members about his alleged intent to incite violence. Corrections were made within the FBI following the review, including enhanced training on analytical standards and domestic terrorism terminology.
Xavier Lopez, who was indicted on federal weapons charges and found to possess Molotov cocktails and firearms, pleaded guilty to possessing destructive devices. The internal FBI memo warning about potential extremism within certain Catholic churches led to preliminary discussions about sending a similar memo to more field offices, but these were discontinued after the original memo was leaked. The FBI released a statement following the inspector general’s report, thanking him for his work and reiterating that there was no intent to investigate Catholics or anyone based on religion. The agency emphasized that FBI investigations are not based solely on First Amendment protected activity, including religious practices. Lopez’s sentencing is scheduled for September, following his guilty plea to possessing destructive devices in March of this year.
Overall, the Department of Justice review found that while the FBI investigation into potential violent extremists was appropriate, the internal memo linking radical-Traditionalist Catholic ideology with extremism lacked evidence and professional judgment. The inspector general’s assessment did not uncover any evidence of discriminatory or inappropriate comments from the FBI analysts involved in creating the memo, regarding the church in question or individuals practicing a particular religious faith. The FBI took corrective actions following the review, including enhanced training, approval requirements for intelligence products, and formal admonishments for the employees involved in crafting the memo. The agency reiterated its commitment to protecting communities from potential threats while upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans, emphasizing that investigations are not based solely on First Amendment protected activity, including religious practices.
