Published on 6/6/2026
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has fired a number of its analysts linked to the preparation of a 2023 memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic “violent extremists,” in the latest wave of dismissals that took place under the leadership of FBI Director Kash Patel.
The dismissal included four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst, their lawyer reported on Friday, while the FBI declined to comment.
“This action is patently unfair, based on no facts, and violates standard FBI policy and procedures,” said a statement from their attorney, David Loveman. “These individuals deserve far better treatment for their outstanding and dedicated public service in protecting our country.”
The intelligence report issued in January 2023, prepared by analysts at the FBI in Richmond, Virginia, sparked intense political controversy after its publication, as Republicans in Congress repeatedly cited it in their claim that the FBI was targeting conservatives during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The FBI’s director at the time, Chris Wray, denied this accusation more than once, and the FBI announced that it quickly withdrew the document and began an internal investigation. Merrick Garland, Attorney General under President Biden, expressed “deep dissatisfaction” with the memo.
Previous Justice Department investigations into the memo had questioned the analysis methods, but found no evidence of intentional misconduct on the part of the analysts involved.
Cleansing campaign
These dismissals come as part of what is described as a large-scale employee purge under Patel, a loyalist of President Donald Trump, who dismissed dozens of employees over the past year either for contributing to investigations related to Trump or because they were considered inconsistent with the administration’s agenda. The Justice Department has undertaken similar, sweeping firings of prosecutors since Trump took office last year.
Last February, for example, the FBI fired a group of counterintelligence agents that participated in investigating Trump over his keeping secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Content of the memo
According to a report by the Associated Press, the Richmond memo, which emerged from an investigation into domestic terrorism, sought to examine a possible link between what the memo described as “radical traditional Catholic” ideology and racially and ethnically motivated extremists.
The memorandum warned of the possibility of violence, and also highlighted what its authors described as “new ways to uncover information and develop sources.” FBI leadership quickly condemned these findings immediately after the document was published.
An internal FBI investigation, reported in a 2023 letter to Congress, based on interviews with 26 people, revealed that all individuals involved in preparing, reviewing, and approving the product did not adhere to forensic standards, and did not realize that the product, as currently formulated, equated the subjects’ interest in their professed religion with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology, without sufficient evidence or rationale.
The investigation noted that “the failure to adhere to standards, including correct terminology related to domestic terrorism, gave the impression that the FBI was conducting its investigations based on religious affiliation,” considering that “one of the most important principles of the FBI is that investigations should not be based solely on the exercise of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.”
In 2024, a report by the Justice Department Inspector General summarized the previous FBI investigation, saying that although there were some violations of forensic standards, “no evidence of malicious intent or illicit purpose was found.”
