FBI Director Kash Patel fired at least five intelligence analysts from the bureau's Richmond, Virginia, office Friday over a long-rescinded 2023 memo that became a years-long fixation for MAGA activists, three people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
The memo, titled "Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities," argued that white supremacists were attempting to recruit a subset of so-called "radical traditionalist Catholics" and suggested Catholic congregations could present intelligence-gathering opportunities.
After it leaked in 2023, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray ordered it withdrawn and apologized for it in multiple congressional hearings. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland called it "appalling."
A 2024 Justice Department Inspector General review found no evidence of anti-Catholic bias or bad intent — but concluded the memo suffered from significant analytical problems and poor tradecraft.
Republicans and MAGA activists seized on it anyway, treating it as proof the FBI was targeting Catholics. Friday's firings are Patel's answer to those grievances.
The terminations fit a well-documented pattern. A lawsuit filed by three senior FBI officials alleges Patel admitted White House and DOJ superiors instructed him to fire anyone who had worked on investigations involving Trump. Court papers also describe a DOJ official telling senior FBI leaders he faced pressure from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to carry out sweeping terminations mirroring the purge of Jan. 6 prosecutors.
The FBI's own jobs site describes intelligence analysts as "critical to our ability to proactively mitigate risks" and "the first line of defense in identifying and understanding threats." The FBI Agents Association, which represents more than 90% of active agents, has previously condemned Patel's firings as "erratic and arbitrary retribution."
