WASHINGTON – Last year, a leaked document from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Richmond Field Office attempted to tie “radical-traditionalist Catholics” to violent extremism. Following a thorough investigation, the House Judiciary Committee released a report detailing the extent of the FBI’s weaponization of law enforcement against Catholics.
Since the memorandum was leaked, the FBI has disregarded congressional requests for records which would assist Congress in conducting its own investigation, including the agency’s failure to meet the March 1, 2023 request made by the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Additionally, the FBI’s internal review of the memo revealed the agency deleted crucial records pertaining to the memo once it became public.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his colleagues in sending a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, expressing key concerns regarding the agency’s actions and transparency regarding the Richmond memorandum case. The senators argue this broader crisis of FBI leadership is part of an ongoing pattern of weaponization of federal law enforcement against ordinary citizens, which the agency must address.
Further, the senators question the FBI’s erasure of records regarding the memo and highlights the discrepancies in Director Wray's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on July 12, 2023.
“We are writing about the FBI’s failure to provide information requested by members relating to the now infamous Richmond memo while misleading this body with what little information it did provide,” the senators state. “We recently also learned that the FBI permanently deleted critical records related to the memo, and one of the authors of the Richmond memo prepared a second external report in coordination with headquarters that was intended to be circulated outside the Richmond office to the full FBI. This information further calls into question your sworn testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on July 12, 2023, and the integrity of the FBI’s internal review. The FBI must immediately provide a coherent and complete response to the Senate.”
“Yet the FBI’s response to this troubling memo shows the inability of these measures to safeguard against FBI overreach. Faced with the troubling Richmond incident, and with that intelligence product swiftly condemned by FBI leadership, one would expect the Inspection Division to step up and conduct a thorough investigation that addressed the concerns of Congress and the public. Based upon information obtained in the FBI’s Senate briefing, it failed in that task and needs to go back to the drawing board,” the senators continued. “These revelations undermine confidence in the FBI’s response to the Richmond memo, and the Bureau needs to right these wrongs. […] Only a commitment to excellence and unbiased enforcement of the law will repair the FBI’s damaged credibility.”
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Additional cosigners include U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), James Lankford (R-OK), James Risch (R-ID), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Todd Young (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
Click here for the letter.