DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology
Justice Department calls internal assessment a 'grave failure' and 'abuse of power'.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Trump's DOJ exposes how the Biden FBI didn't stop targeting Catholics even after getting caught
Photograph: The Blaze (embedded from source)
What this story says
- A Department of Justice report found an FBI memo linking "radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology" to domestic violent extremism was a "grave failure" and an "abuse of power."
- The FBI's investigation began with Xavier Louis Lopez, who posted online about violent and racially motivated ideologies.
- The FBI investigated priests associated with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after Lopez began attending their chapel.
- One outlet claims the DOJ report "falsely accuses FBI of anti-Catholic bias."
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 9 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
45/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
A Department of Justice report has criticised an internal FBI memo that suggested a link between "radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology" and domestic violent extremism. The DOJ report, released by the Weaponization Working Group, described the memo as a "grave failure" and an "abuse of power."
The FBI's investigation that led to the memo began with an individual named Xavier Louis Lopez. Lopez had posted online about violent and racially motivated ideologies. After his release from state prison in June 2021, Lopez began attending a chapel affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). The FBI subsequently investigated priests associated with the SSPX after Lopez started attending their chapel.
Disagreement on DOJ report's claims
One outlet claims the DOJ report "falsely accuses FBI of anti-Catholic bias." The other reports do not contain this claim.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports below mention the claim that the DOJ report "falsely accuses FBI of anti-Catholic bias."
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 9 times, most recently on 1 Sept 2026, 15:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
7 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports focused on the Department of Justice's criticism of the FBI memo. The Blaze, in its full report, stated the memo was a "grave failure" and an "abuse of power," quoting Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. These reports highlighted that the FBI targeted adherents of "traditionalist Catholicism" and suggested a link between certain Catholic beliefs and violent extremism. Several reports noted that the FBI continued the project even after a whistleblower exposed the bureau's actions in 2023. The Washington Examiner's digest stated Democrats spied on priests and refused accountability until President Trump fired them. The New American and Conservative Review mentioned the DOJ report was published pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order 14147, "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government."
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 100% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 9. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology biased?
- DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered DOJ report criticizes FBI memo targeting Catholic ideology?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the Department of Justice report say about the FBI memo?
- The Department of Justice report described the FBI's internal memo, which linked "radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology" to domestic violent extremism, as a "grave failure" and an "abuse of power." The report criticised the FBI Richmond Field Office for its actions.
- What prompted the FBI's investigation?
- The FBI's investigation began with an individual named Xavier Louis Lopez, who had posted online about violent and racially motivated ideologies. After his release from prison, Lopez began attending a chapel affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), leading the FBI to investigate priests associated with the group.
- Did all reports agree on the DOJ's findings?
- No, while most reports focused on the DOJ's criticism of the FBI memo, one outlet claimed that the DOJ report "falsely accuses FBI of anti-Catholic bias." This specific claim was not mentioned in the other reports.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
7- Joe Biden Rewarded FBI Agents Who Spied on Pro-Life Catholics (opens LifeNews.com in a new tab)
LifeNews.com — is LifeNews.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Richmond memo shows why the weaponization inquiry was necessary (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- DOJ calls FBI’s “radical-traditionalist Catholic” memo a ser (opens capitalisminstitute.org in a new tab)
capitalisminstitute.org — is capitalisminstitute.org biased? Our profile of this outlet
- DOJ Report Details FBI’s “Richmond Catholic Memo” That Targeted “Radical Traditionalist Catholics” (opens The New American in a new tab)
The New American — is The New American biased? Our profile of this outlet
- IN DEPTH: Trump DOJ report into Biden FBI targeting traditional Catholics (opens LifeSiteNews in a new tab)
LifeSiteNews — is LifeSiteNews biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump's DOJ exposes how the Biden FBI didn't stop targeting Catholics even after getting caught (opens Conservative Review in a new tab)
Conservative Review — is Conservative Review biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump's DOJ exposes how the Biden FBI didn't stop targeting Catholics even after getting caught (opens The Blaze in a new tab)
Not rated
2How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.


