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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly fired several agents in connection with a controversial 2023 memo that detailed the bureauʼs plans to investigate “radical-traditionalist” Catholics in Virginia.
Multiple media outlets reported on the firings on June 5, citing sources within the federal agency. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News on the reports.
The memo, which leaked in February 2023, detailed the FBIʼs Virginia-based investigations into alleged extremists among the faithful at “traditional Catholic houses of worship.” The bureau indicated that it had planned “trip wire or source development” among Catholic communities as part of its investigation.
The policy, which was withdrawn after it was leaked to the press, drew rebuke from local Catholic leaders and members of Congress. Lawmakers have repeatedly grilled FBI leadership over the memo and the FBIʼs handling of it both before and after it leaked.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in September 2025 that there had been “terminations” and “resignations” related to the memo. Patel said at the time that the FBI was conducting an investigation into the memo itself.
In February 2024, multiple U.S. senators grilled then-FBI Director Christopher Wray over the alleged deletion of files related to the memo. The lawmakers claimed that the bureau allegedly “deleted the records as soon as the incident became public.”
Although the FBI removed the document from its systems and asserted the issue was isolated to one product from one field office, a 2025 report found that multiple field offices were involved in producing the memo and that it was distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees throughout the country.
In December 2025 Virginiaʼs then Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger tapped Stanley Meador — the special agent who oversaw the Richmond FBI office that drafted the memo — to lead the stateʼs public safety and homeland security department.
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Unfortunately Christian white suprematism isn’t only present in the KKK.
Honestly susanne it’s not present in many places these days anyway. The Klan is mostly a thing of the past.
About the only real concentration of “white” supremacists today is going to be found in correctional facilities. And that’s more about inmates grouping together for protection than about racism.
Young people marry who they choose today and skin colour doesn’t matter as it did in previous generations.
I’m not sure what any of this has to do with Latin Mass goers in Virginia though.
LOL, it’s in the Southern Poverty Law Center as well
What the hell does this have to do with the KKK?
Do you check under your bed at night to make sure there are no white Christians hiding down there? Your closet?
Let’s take it easy on Susanne. Why just today there are several big stories illustrating the danger of “white supremacism”.
I mean, clearly it was white supremacist that caused a 27 year old named Tashara Abel to beat a 98 year old man.
And the KKK disrupted the St. Catharine family festival in Columbus Ohio. The KKK also stabbed a 66 year old black grandmother in Atlanta.
“Oooh, that’s very different..nevermind”
-Emily Latella
Susanne is projecting her own racism again 🙄!
Calling out racism, which is a sin, is not a sin.
That’s correct Gerard, but is that actually the case here?
Not only is “Christian white suprematism [sic]” a chimera, so is the KKK for the most part. Democrats trot out the 15 remaining members of the KKK every four years for presidential elections, but that’s about it.
Catholic Biden’s FBI authorized clandestine surveillance of Catholics in Virginia. Ain’t that ironic. Yet, our Catholic bishops with backing from our Catholic Vatican apparachniks supported a Catholic politician such as Biden.
I visited family in Virginia a few years ago and drove through the community where the SSPX have their seminary. The chapel at the seminary is the only place in the entire county where Catholic Mass is held.
The SSPX have a good relationship with the local community who are mostly Baptist and some Amish and there’s nothing nefarious going on that I’m aware of.
Outrageous? Without a doubt.
Surprising? Not really.
The only bastion of Catholicism in the Federal Law Enforcement, the FBI, was rightfully investigating potential criminals and terrorists hiding within the Traditional Catholic Community here in Virginia. The anti-American forces of evil have successfully ruined the careers of HERO agents doing their best to protect American citizens especially us Virginian Catholics. God Bless those agents who were terminated.
Yeah sure, the agency that gave us Strzok and Page having an affair and texting like teenagers on the taxpayer dime is a “bastion of Catholicism”.
Rightfully investigating? Based on what probable cause? Orchestrated property damage? Communication with some group on a terrorist watch list? Announced intent to commit terrorism?. No, nothing like that. Just an infamously deranged letter complaining about anti-LGBTQ social media postings and a reliance on the now thoroughly discredited Southern Poverty Law Center.
Actually, I’d like those agents names to be announced, because the public, especially hiring managers need to know that they will be hiring bigots who abuse their authority. Termination is quite frankly insufficient absent indictment. Wray of course sailed off into the sunset.
And the FBI has a systemic problem: This from the most recent report by the DOJ Inspector General:Semiannual Report to Congress October 1, 2025–March 31, 2026 (pp 17-18)
“During this reporting period, the OIG received 772 complaints involving the FBI. The most common allegation made against FBI employees was Official Misconduct. Most of the complaints were considered management issues and were provided to the FBI for its review and appropriate action.
The OIG opened 6 investigations and referred 78 allegations to the FBI’s Inspection Division for action or investigation. At the close of the reporting period, the OIG had 55 open criminal or administrative investigations of alleged misconduct related to FBI employees. The most common allegations were Official Misconduct, Off-Duty Violations, and Fraud.”
Look, we all get it, you’re trolling, but the art of trolling is in presenting a vexatious argument with a kernel of plausibility, not some overwrought, baseless nonsense that makes other readers question if you are cognitively impaired or an overpaid shill. Of course, you might just be a Fed or a retired Fed.
I believe there was a legit concern re. a young man in the Richmond area who was arrested on federal weapons charges. He called himself a “radical traditional Catholic Fascist” online. He was found with Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs & firearm components. He had attended an SSPX church for several months.
I knew a SSPX homeschooling family & I’ve used curricula from an SSPX school. I have differences of opinion with them but I never detected anyone being “dangerous”.
There are more than a few unwell young people living with their parents or grandparents( like the one in Richmond) who become radicalized or obsessed with ideologies online. It reflects more on mental health, isolation, & internet rabbit holes than it does on the SSPX in VA.
William S Orthman writes: “rightfully investigating potential criminals and terrorists hiding within the Traditional Catholic Community here in Virginia.”
You meant that as a joke, right?
Thank you. Many of us who frequent these communities know full well the truly dangerous beliefs of some members. It goes well beyond sedevacantism.
Just curious, which of the communities on the FBI list have you frequented? None that I saw were diocesan TLM’s. As I understand it, the FBI got the list from the SPLC.
I met an actual sedevacantist decades ago but not in the SSPX. From what I understand that’s not what the SSPX believe & they hang a photo of the current pope in their church offices.
And you, sir, are flat out lying and defaming innocent Catholics. And that is a serious sin.
Well, since I have attended Mass in the SSPX chapel in Linden Virginia many times )the chapel that was the focus of the FBI investigation), I can certify that you are just plain nuts. Praying in Latin is not a crime, but the conduct of the FBI agents is.