FBI Quietly Fires At Least Five Analysts Over 2023 Catholic Extremism Memo
The FBI fired at least five analysts who helped draft a withdrawn 2023 memo on "Radical Traditionalist Catholic" ideology, CBS reported on Friday, June 5, 2026, from the agency's Richmond field office.[1]
An internal FBI review led by former Director Chris Wray found no malicious intent or discriminatory comments by the drafters but said the memo failed to meet analytic standards and contained errors in professional judgment.[1] Those analysts were initially admonished and the FBI instituted new approval safeguards for such products, the report said.[1] A Justice Department inspector general review also found no order directing analysts to target particular religions and no evidence of discriminatory motive.[1] The firings have been seized on by President Trump allies and by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.[1] The task force asserted the FBI "investigated, monitored, tracked and scrutinized traditional Catholics who had engaged in no criminal misconduct." CBS CBS said the removals are part of a broader wave of departures of FBI and Justice Department personnel connected to probes the Trump administration opposed.[1]
The memo was drafted in 2023 by the FBI's Richmond field office and later withdrawn after controversy over its framing and sources.[1] Investigators criticized its "misplaced reliance" on the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the task force noted the SPLC faces a federal criminal case alleging deceptive informant payments; the SPLC denies wrongdoing.[1]
Earlier internal and inspector general reviews cleared the drafters of malicious motive while faulting the product's quality, but the agency later moved to dismiss at least five analysts.[1] CBS said those changes follow a wider personnel shakeup that included removals of staff tied to Trump criminal cases and to FACE Act abortion-clinic obstruction prosecutions.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, June 5, 2026, CBS reported that the FBI has fired at least five analysts involved in drafting the withdrawn 2023 “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” memo from the Richmond field office.
- An internal FBI investigation under former Director Chris Wray found no malicious intent or discriminatory comments by the drafters but concluded the memo failed to meet analytic standards, contained errors in professional judgment, and led to admonishments and new approval safeguards for such products.
- A Justice Department inspector general review likewise found no order directing analysts to target particular religions and no evidence of a discriminatory motive in the creation of the memo.
- President Trump’s allies and the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias have spotlighted the memo and the firings, with the task force asserting the FBI “investigated, monitored, tracked and scrutinized traditional Catholics who had engaged in no criminal misconduct.”
- The task force report criticized the memo’s “misplaced reliance” on the Southern Poverty Law Center, and noted the SPLC is facing a federal criminal case alleging deception in paying informants; the SPLC denies wrongdoing and calls the prosecution vindictive.
- CBS reports the firings are part of a broader wave of removals of FBI and Justice Department personnel tied to probes the Trump administration opposed, including everyone who worked on Trump’s classified-documents and 2020-election criminal cases and several prosecutors who brought FACE Act abortion-clinic obstruction cases.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Friday, June 5, 2026, CBS reported that the FBI has fired at least five analysts involved in drafting the withdrawn 2023 'Radical Traditionalist Catholic' memo from the Richmond field office.
- An internal FBI investigation under former Director Chris Wray found no malicious intent or discriminatory comments by the drafters but concluded the memo failed to meet analytic standards and contained errors in professional judgment; analysts were initially admonished and new approval safeguards were instituted.
- A separate Justice Department inspector general review likewise found no order directing analysts to target particular religions and no evidence of discriminatory motive.
- The memo and the firings have been highlighted by President Trump’s allies and by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, a body created by Trump executive order, which claimed the FBI 'investigated, monitored, tracked and scrutinized traditional Catholics who had engaged in no criminal misconduct.'
- The task force report criticized the memo’s 'misplaced reliance' on the Southern Poverty Law Center, which now faces its own federal criminal case over alleged deception in paying informants to infiltrate hate groups; the SPLC denies wrongdoing and calls the prosecution vindictive.
- CBS reports that these firings are part of a broader wave of removals of FBI and Justice Department personnel involved in investigations or prosecutions opposed by the Trump administration, including everyone who worked on Trump’s classified-documents and 2020-election criminal cases and several prosecutors who brought FACE Act abortion-clinic obstruction cases.