Jim Jordan busted for pushing debunked smear of the FBI

In an attempt to bolster the reputation of his "weaponization" investigations that have been a flop so far, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has been floating a debunked accusation that the FBI has an anti-Catholic bias.

According to MSNBC's Sarah Posner, the controversial Ohio Republican is rebooting an accusation against the FBI based upon "... a single internal intelligence memo, dated Jan. 23 and written by the bureau’s Richmond, Virginia, field office,assessing far-right extremist threats stemming from 'Radical-Traditionalist Catholic' ideology.'"

Earlier in the week Jordan subpoenaed the agency, accusing it of targeting Catholic churches in Richmond, Virginia.

According to Axios, "Jordan claims in the subpoena that based on 'limited information' provided to the committee, the FBI 'relied on at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis' and 'proposed that its agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership to inform on Americans practicing their faith.'"

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As Posner notes, the allegations have already been addressed by FBI Director Christopher Wray, but that didn't stop Jordan from trying to make a splash.

Writing, "Jordan and his foot soldiers nonetheless have been using it as a battering ram to discredit law enforcement," Posner added, "For Jordan, the prospect of agitating the Christian right is apparently a far loftier goal than pursuing the truth."

"Appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March, Wray testified that he was 'aghast' upon learning of the memo. 'It does not reflect FBI standards,' he told the committee," the MSNBC columnist reported, adding that Wray also insisted, "We do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliations or practices, full stop.”

Adding that "Claiming Democratic administrations are anti-Catholic or anti-Christian is old hat for the GOP," Posner explained, "But this new offensive against the FBI comes at an opportune time for them to consolidate opposition to the government with support for Donald Trump, who needs to keep the Christian right base agitated against his perceived enemies in his latest run for the White House."

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