The Justice Department has released a report accusing the FBI’s Richmond Field Office of conducting unjustified investigations of two Catholic priests and improperly linking traditional religious beliefs to domestic extremism.
The report, issued Thursday by the department’s Weaponization Working Group, examines the creation and distribution of a 2023 internal FBI assessment known as the “Richmond Domain Perspective.”
According to the Justice Department, the assessment suggested a possible connection between violent extremism and conservative beliefs shared by some Catholics. The document became controversial after it was made public, prompting criticism from religious-liberty advocates and congressional Republicans.
The new report concludes that FBI agents made extensive inquiries into two priests, including monitoring travel and communications. Investigators ultimately found no connection between either priest and criminal activity or violent extremism, the department said.
The review also found that the FBI relied on material from the Southern Poverty Law Center and foreign intelligence sources without adequately evaluating the information’s credibility. Internal FBI reviews later determined that the Richmond assessment conflated religious doctrine with violent extremism and failed to properly address First Amendment concerns, according to the report.
The Weaponization Working Group reviewed more than 1,800 pages of FBI emails, assessments and investigative records. Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized a limited waiver of privileged material to allow some of the underlying documents to be released publicly.
The report also criticized the FBI’s response after the assessment was withdrawn from its systems. According to the Justice Department, employees involved in preparing the document continued to receive positive performance evaluations, while Richmond office leaders defended their work. Some staff members allegedly continued revising the assessment after it had been removed.
President Donald Trump established the working group under Executive Order 14147, which he signed on his first day back in office in January 2025. The order directed federal agencies to identify and address what the administration describes as political weaponization under the Biden administration.
The Justice Department said it has since removed key FBI personnel involved in producing the Richmond assessment. It did not identify those employees or provide details about their removal.
“This Department of Justice will not tolerate a weaponized bureaucracy that chills First Amendment activity,” Blanche said. “The individuals who developed the Richmond Domain Perspective are no longer with the Department.”
FBI Director Kash Patel called the memo “unacceptable” and said releasing information about its development was necessary to restore public trust.
The original assessment and its handling have been the subject of competing political interpretations. Current Justice Department officials characterize the episode as an abuse of federal authority, while the report itself reflects an investigation conducted under an administration that has made reviewing actions by its predecessor a stated priority.
The department said it remains committed to enforcing federal law consistently with constitutional protections and encouraged people with concerns about similar government conduct to come forward.
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