U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, seeking documents related to the Biden administration’s targeting of Christians. Mere months after calling for a new Church Committee to investigate abuses by the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ), Senator Hawley is now asking the new administration to turn over the details of religious targeting by the Biden DOJ and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Under President Biden, the FBI targeted people of faith. The FBI’s Richmond Field Office went so far as to issue a memorandum suggesting that certain traditionalist Catholics might be security risks and proposed infiltrating Catholic parishes. President Biden’s FBI also weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (‘FACE’) Act to target pro-life protesters and discourage people of faith from exercising their First Amendment rights. No doubt this is merely the tip of the iceberg,” asserted Senator Hawley.
Hawley’s letter calls on the FBI to share any emails, memoranda, directives, and policy guidance related to the targeting of religious Americans under the Biden Administration.
“I trust that, under your leadership, this misconduct will end. But those responsible must be held accountable,” Hawley stated.
Senator Hawley concluded, “I appreciated our conversations before and during your confirmation hearing, and I was particularly grateful for your willingness to cooperate with our investigations into the FBI’s violations of First Amendment rights. Transparency and accountability will be paramount in restoring Americans’ faith in the Bureau. Getting to the bottom of the Biden Administration’s violations of religious liberty is an excellent place to start.”
Read the full letter here or below.
The Honorable Kash Patel
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535
Dear Director Patel:
Under President Biden, the FBI targeted people of faith. The FBI’s Richmond Field Office went so far as to issue a memorandum suggesting that certain traditionalist Catholics might be security risks, and proposed infiltrating Catholic parishes.[1] President Biden’s FBI also weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (“FACE”) Act to target pro-life protesters and discourage people of faith from exercising their First Amendment rights. No doubt this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
I trust that, under your leadership, this misconduct will end. But those responsible must be held accountable. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, I write to formally request the production of agency records concerning these FBI abuses, as detailed in the attached appendix, by April 30, 2025.
I appreciated our conversations before and during your confirmation hearing, and I was particularly grateful for your willingness to cooperate with our investigations into the FBI’s violations of First Amendment rights. Transparency and accountability will be paramount in restoring Americans’ faith in the Bureau. Getting to the bottom of the Biden Administration’s violations of religious liberty is an excellent place to start.
Richmond Field Office Memorandum and Related Memoranda
1. All versions, drafts, or revisions of the memorandum issued by the FBI Richmond Field Office regarding “radical-traditionalist Catholics” as potential domestic terrorists, including any related memoranda issued by other FBI field offices or headquarters.
2. All internal FBI communications, including emails, text messages, chat logs, and memoranda, discussing the development, approval, modification, or rescission of the Richmond Field Office memorandum.
3. All documents identifying the FBI personnel, offices, or divisions involved in drafting, reviewing, approving, or disseminating the Richmond Field Office memorandum, including, but not limited to, communications between the Richmond, Portland, and Los Angeles field offices.
4. All communications between the FBI and the DOJ regarding the content, approval, or implementation of the Richmond Field Office memorandum and any related memoranda.
5. All policy guidance, directives, training materials, or enforcement plans related to the FBI’s monitoring of religious organizations, including, but not limited to, Catholic churches, as part of domestic terrorism investigations.
6. All documents, including email communications, meeting notes, and memoranda, that reference or discuss any directive, instruction, or guidance issued by the White House, DOJ, National Security Council, or any other federal agency regarding the FBI’s monitoring of religious groups, including Catholic organizations.
7. All internal assessments, audits, or reports evaluating the Richmond Field Office memorandum, including any documents analyzing its compliance with FBI policies, legal frameworks, or constitutional protections of religious freedom.
8. All documents reflecting FBI efforts to collect intelligence, recruit informants, or conduct surveillance within churches or affiliated organizations based on the Richmond Field Office memorandum or other guidance.
9. All documents relating to investigations, surveillance operations, or law enforcement actions initiated as a result of the Richmond Field Office memorandum or related memoranda, including any records of individuals or groups targeted under this initiative.
10. All documents reflecting the role of the FBI’s Portland and Los Angeles Field Offices in the drafting, review, or dissemination of the Richmond Field Office memorandum, including any documents that identify officials responsible for coordinating these efforts.
11. All communications, including emails, memoranda, and reports, between FBI officials and any external organizations, think tanks, or academic institutions that provided input on the characterization of Catholic Americans or other religious groups in domestic terrorism assessments.
12. All documents, including communications with state and local law enforcement agencies, that discuss how the Richmond Field Office memorandum or similar FBI policies were implemented or considered for enforcement at the state or local level.
FACE Act Abuses
1. The identity of all individuals involved with the FBI’s enforcement of the FACE Act under the Biden Administration.
2. All communications, including, but not limited to, emails, memoranda, directives, and policy guidance, sent to or from the FBI Director, Deputy Director, or any other senior official regarding the enforcement of the FACE Act under the Biden Administration.
3. All documents reflecting internal FBI deliberations, discussions, or decisions regarding prioritization, enforcement strategy, or policy direction related to the FACE Act, including, but not limited to, any documents identifying the individuals or offices responsible for making those determinations.
4. All communications, including emails, text messages, or memoranda, between the FBI and the DOJ regarding the enforcement or non-enforcement of the FACE Act under the Biden Administration.
5. All documents, including briefing materials, talking points, or internal reports, prepared for or provided to the FBI Director or other senior officials regarding the enforcement of the FACE Act under the Biden Administration.
6. All documents, including, but not limited to, policy memoranda, internal directives, guidance documents, or other materials issued by the FBI that establish, modify, or explain the agency’s enforcement priorities under the FACE Act, including any documents identifying the officials responsible for setting such priorities.
7. All documents, including email communications, meeting notes, or internal memoranda, that reference or discuss any directive, instruction, or guidance issued by the White House, DOJ, or any other federal agency regarding the FBI’s enforcement of the FACE Act.
8. All drafts, revisions, or final versions of any FBI policies, reports, or legal analyses concerning the enforcement of the FACE Act that relates to enforcement discrepancies between abortion-related clinics and religious institutions, including any records identifying the individuals responsible for such policies.
9. All communications, including emails, memoranda, text messages, or meeting minutes, reflecting any discussions between FBI field offices and FBI headquarters regarding the prioritization or de-prioritization of FACE Act investigations.
10. All internal FBI evaluations, audits, or assessments that discuss the agency’s approach to enforcing the FACE Act, including any discussions of political, policy, or strategic considerations.
