Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Demands ‘Accountability’ After FBI Memo on ‘Radical-Traditional Catholic Ideology’

AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
Share Tweet
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

February 17, 2023

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is calling for accountability after the FBI bureau in Richmond sent out a now-public internal memo seemingly calling some Catholics “violent extremists.”

Youngkin was surprised by the memo on “radical-traditional Catholic ideology,” which cited the Southern Poverty Law Center, a left-leaning legal advocacy organization. In a statement shared with CBN’s Faithwire, the governor’s spokesperson, Macaulay Porter, said Youngkin is demanding “full transparency and accountability” from top FBI brass.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast 👇

“Religious freedom is a foundational tenet of our great nation, and the governor was stunned by the news reports on the FBI memo,” said Porter. “While he is encouraged that the FBI removed the document, he believes there must be full transparency and accountability from FBI leadership as part of the review under way.”

It should be noted the FBI announced it was rescinding the Richmond-based memo after whistleblower Kyle Seraphin published it on UncoverDC.com Feb. 8. The bureau’s national office said the memo “does not meet the exacting standards of the FBI” and vowed to “conduct a review of the basis for the document.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent his own letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Feb. 10, according to WRIC-TV.

In a press release, Miyares said, “Virginia is the birthplace of religious freedom and has a long history of protecting the inalienable right to live your faith free from government interference or intimidation. Virginians should not and will not be labeled ‘violent extremists’ by their government because of how they worship, or because of their beliefs.”

The FBI Richmond field office suggested in the memo in question there are Catholics who are “radical-traditionalists” and could be “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists”

Concern over the memo, first issued in January, is spreading, with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) demanding answers from Wray, Fox News reported.

“In this document, the FBI purported to distinguish what it called ‘traditional Catholics’ from the disfavored RTC [radical-traditionalist Catholic] adherents, who the FBI characterized as embracing ‘anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist ideology,'” wrote Jordan.

The lawmaker went on to assert the memo attempts to “separate and categorize Catholic Americans based on theological distinctions,” adding the document underscores “the political nature of [the FBI’s] actions.”

Jordan said the memo relies on “biased and partisan sources, including the Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC], Salon, and The Atlantic, to support its assessment,” noting the SPLC “identifies the broad term ‘Christian identity’ as a hate group — a term that could arguably encompass millions of Americans with sincerely held religious beliefs.”

“The fact that the FBI would blindly accept and regurgitate the SPLC’s spin is highly concerning and undercuts the FBI’s assertion that it is unbiased and politically neutral,” he said.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Latest

  • Faith

    ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash

  • News

    ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal

  • News

    Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution

  • News

    All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’

  • News

    ‘Dear Jesus, Please Help Them’: Meteorologist Credited With Saving Lives After Viral, On-Air Prayer to God as Deadly Tornado Hit


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash
  • ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal
  • Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution
  • All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’
  • ‘Dear Jesus, Please Help Them’: Meteorologist Credited With Saving Lives After Viral, On-Air Prayer to God as Deadly Tornado Hit

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?