(AmericanProsperity.com) – Republican House Judiciary Chair and Ohio Representative Jim Jordan issued on Monday a subpoena to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Director Christopher Ray, in connection with a memo that explored different ways of recollecting data on white supremacists’ interaction with some Catholic churches in the United States.
The FBI memo discussed meeting with different Catholic church leaders to check indications of radicalization and to seek their cooperation to act as vigilant detectors of suspicious activities. This memo details a growing overlap between Catholic church leaders that consider themselves “radical traditionalists” and different white national groups.
Jordan, who is currently in possession of the document, wrote in a statement that the “limited information” that the Committee received makes it clear that the FBI is relying on data delivered from at least one undercover agent who is using local religious groups and organizations in the country as “new avenues” for source development and tripwire. He added that Americans who attend churches must be free to exercise their religious freedom without worrying that the FBI could have informants and undercover agents in their houses of worship.
In a statement, the FBI announced it received the subpoena and said it was fully committed to cooperating with the House of Representatives oversight requests. The agency also pointed out it’s actively working to answer some congressional requests for information, which include documents’ voluntary production.
About the FBI memo, Wray already condemned the document during a March hearing at the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he said he felt “aghast” when he first learned about the piece in question. He said he and the agency took quick efforts to properly remove it from its systems, and that the memo doesn’t reflect the FBI standards as the agency doesn’t conduct any type of investigation based on any religious practice or affiliation. He also said he ordered the Inspection Division to investigate how this happened and to determine how to make sure this never happens again.
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