FBI Fires Analysts Tied to Retracted 'Catholic Ideology' Memo in Latest Patel-Era Purge

Several FBI analysts tied to the creation of a 2023 intelligence memo warning of a potential threat from Catholic "violent extremists" were told Friday, June 5 that they are being fired, with the Associated Press reporting the terminations Friday evening, citing the employees' lawyer and people familiar with the matter; the story broke overnight and spread across wire affiliates through Saturday. The fired employees include four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst, marking the latest wave of terminations under FBI Director Kash Patel.

The memo, produced out of the bureau's Richmond field office and later leaked publicly, warned about "radical-traditionalist" Catholic ideology; it was retracted after a political furor and has remained a touchstone of Republican criticism of the bureau. "This action is manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts, and subverts standard FBI policy and procedure," attorney David Laufman, who represents the fired employees, said in a statement.

The Washington Post carried the AP account, and Nexstar and Sinclair-affiliated stations ran it nationwide into the weekend. The dismissals extend a purge that has now reached deep into the bureau's intelligence-analysis ranks, years after the memo's authors were first identified in congressional inquiries.