Enrique Villegas
(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 01.09.2023).- Stanley Meador, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Richmond, Virginia, appeared before the Judicial Committee of the House of Representatives in a closed-door hearing, which lasted several hours, according to The Washington Examiner on Thursday, July 24. Although the meeting was held in secret, a growing controversy has been generated around the FBI’s office in Richmond, due to a previous memorandum that mentioned the “traditional-radical Catholic ideology” and suggested a persecution.
The FBI office in Richmond issued this memorandum months ago, which made reference to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a leftist group. In the memorandum, agents were urged to investigate possible links between “violent extremists for racial or ethnic motives” and “radical-traditional Catholics,” quoting the SPLC and including a list of “hate groups” designated as such by the SPLC so that the agents would take them into consideration.
However, the FBI was obliged to retract swiftly from the memorandum after receiving a wave of criticisms. Pro-life groups and elected pro-life officials called for an investigation to render accounts.
The request to render accounts began with the petition for access to more documents related to the controversial memorandum. The FBI responded by furnishing a series of new documents, which were handed over to the House’s Judicial Committee.
Stanley Meador’s appearance before the Judicial Committee is an important step in the process of rendering accounts and shedding light on the controversy around the memorandum and its reference to the “radical-traditional Catholic ideology.” To the degree that the details of the interview are being kept secret, the controversy continues growing, with ever greater focus on the relationship between Federal Agencies and religious ideology groups. The Judicial Committee is determined to clarify this issue and to guarantee transparency in this delicate matter.
