{"id":2011122,"date":"2023-08-24T17:29:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T21:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-richmond-official-who-oversaw-memo-targeting-catholics-testifies-to-congress\/"},"modified":"2023-08-24T17:30:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T21:30:47","slug":"fbi-richmond-official-who-oversaw-memo-targeting-catholics-testifies-to-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-richmond-official-who-oversaw-memo-targeting-catholics-testifies-to-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Richmond official testifies to Congress on memo targeting Catholics."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-richmond-official-who-oversaw-memo-targeting-catholics-testifies-to-congress%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2011122&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>EXCLUSIVE: FBI Official Testifies on Controversial Document Targeting Catholics<\/h2>\n<p>An FBI official responsible\u200d for overseeing a controversial document\u200d targeting certain Catholics\u200c appeared before\u2062 the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday to testify on the matter. Stanley Meador, a special agent \u2063in charge at the FBI&#8217;s Richmond Field Office, spoke \u200bwith\u200b the committee for several \u2062hours in\u2064 a behind-closed-doors interview, according to two sources familiar with the\u200c interview.<\/p>\n<h3>Top\u2062 Three Takeaways from the Republican Debate \u2062in Milwaukee<\/h3>\n<p>Meador was named in a letter\u200b the FBI wrote \u2064to the committee on\u2063 April 28 as an official involved with handling \u200dthe fallout from the document, which included retracting it and meeting with Catholic leaders from the area about it, according to one of the sources.<\/p>\n<p>The document had been issued internally within the FBI Richmond office in January and leaked to \u200dthe media in redacted form soon thereafter, prompting vocal criticism from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/religious-freedom-advocates-celebrate-after-scotus-sides-with-catholic-group-on-gay-couple-foster-parents\/\" title=\"Religious Freedom Advocates Celebrate After SCOTUS Sides With Catholic Group On Gay Couple Foster Parents\">religious freedom advocates<\/a> that it infringed on First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<p>The document detailed how\u2063 there existed opportunities for\u200d the FBI to mitigate \u200dthreats of violent extremism within &#8220;radical-traditionalist Catholic&#8221; ideology, including by engaging with leaders of affiliated churches and attempting to enlist them \u2064as &#8220;tripwires&#8221; who would operate like\u2063 unofficial \u2064informants.<\/p>\n<p>In a footnote on the document, an\u200c unidentified analyst clarified \u200bthat &#8220;radical-traditionalist Catholics&#8221; \u200dmake \u2064up a &#8220;small minority of overall Roman Catholic \u200dadherents.&#8221; They are characterized by &#8220;disdain&#8221; for popes elected after the Second Vatican Council and \u200d&#8221;frequent \u2064adherence to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist ideology,&#8221; the analyst noted.<\/p>\n<p>The Richmond office\u2063 based its assessments on undercover work and other research, according to the document. \u2064The office included three isolated instances of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cuomo-slammed-over-statement-following-cnn-firing-apologize-to-those-covington-kids-you-smeared\/\" title=\"Cuomo Slammed Over Statement Following CNN Firing: \u2018Apologize To Those Covington Kids You Smeared\u2019\">alleged criminal activity<\/a> by adherents of the religion as supporting evidence, as well as a list of &#8220;RTC \u200c [radical-traditionalist Catholic] hate\u2062 groups&#8221; compiled by the Southern\u200c Poverty Law Center, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-richmond-official-who-oversaw-memo-targeting-catholics-testifies-to-congress\/\" title=\"FBI Richmond official testifies to Congress on memo targeting Catholics.\">left-wing advocacy \u200dgroup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In July, FBI \u2063Director Christopher Wray testified to the House Judiciary Committee that he had found it &#8220;appalling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was &#8220;a single product by a single field office, which\u2063 as soon as I found\u200d out about it, I was aghast and ordered it withdrawn and removed from \u200cFBI systems,&#8221; Wray\u200d testified.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that\u2064 he was in the \u200dprocess \u2063of completing an internal review of \u200cthe document&#8217;s origins and \u200bthat he would arrange\u200c a briefing with\u2062 Congress of\u2064 the review&#8217;s findings. That briefing \u200ctook \u2062place earlier this week, committee staff confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>The committee released this month a\u2064 less redacted version\u200c of the document it had obtained. That version revealed that \u2062the FBI in \u200dRichmond had also \u2062relied on a \u2062&#8221;liaison contact&#8221; in \u2064the Portland Field Office and \u2064information from the Los Angeles Field \u2063Office to craft the document.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This new information suggests that the FBI&#8217;s use of\u200b its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jonathan-emord-the-dhs-disinformation-board-and-the-attack-on-individual-sovereignty\/\" title=\"Jonathan Emord: The DHS Disinformation Board and the Attack on Individual Sovereignty\">law enforcement capabilities<\/a> to \u200dintrude on Americans&#8217; First Amendment rights is more widespread than initially suspected,&#8221; committee Chairman \u200dJim Jordan (R-OH)\u2062 wrote, adding that it also revealed &#8220;inconsistencies&#8221; with Wray&#8217;s testimony from July.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement responding to the accusation, the FBI countered that Wray&#8217;s testimony on the \u2062issue &#8220;has been accurate\u2064 and consistent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While the document referenced\u2064 other FBI offices&#8217; investigations into violent extremism, &#8220;that does not change \u200cthe fact the product was produced by a single office,&#8221; the bureau\u200d said. &#8220;The FBI investigates violence, threats of \u2063violence, and violations of federal law. We do not conduct\u2063 investigations based solely on religious affiliations or practices, or \u2064any other First Amendment\u2063 protected activity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FBI also said that because \u2062that particular document &#8220;failed to meet FBI standards, it was quickly removed from all \u200bFBI systems.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Judiciary Committee, for its part, is expected to continue to conduct more interviews on\u200c the issue as part of its broader inquiry into alleged \u2064civil liberties violations by federal government\u200c agencies.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK HERE \u200dTO \u2062READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI official Stanley Meador, in charge at the Richmond Field Office, testified before the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door interview. The controversial document targeting specific Catholics was the focus of the discussion, lasting several hours. Two sources confirmed the exclusive appearance of Meador before the committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2011123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2011122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2011122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2011123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2011122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2011122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2011122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}