FBI’s Anti-Catholic Spying Scandal: Grassley Exposes Wray’s Lies, SPLC’s Complicity
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has uncovered a shocking abuse of power by the FBI under former Director Christopher Wray, who lied to Congress about the extent of spying on traditional Catholics labeled “domestic terrorists” for their pro-life and family values. The FBI’s Richmond memo, part of a broader operation involving multiple field offices and over 1,000 employees, relied on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) biased “hate map” to justify this unconstitutional surveillance. Wray’s deception and the SPLC’s role in targeting a faith group demand accountability, including stripping the SPLC’s tax-exempt status.
Grassley’s June 3, 2025, findings revealed 13 additional documents and five attachments mirroring the Richmond memo’s anti-Catholic bias, distributed to over 1,000 FBI personnel, contradicting Wray’s 2023 Senate testimony that it was “a single product by a single field office.” Grassley posted on X, “Appears Wray lied 2cong,” adding, “I’m determined to get to the bottom of this.” He told Fox News, “If people that lie to Congress aren’t held accountable, it encourages more lies.” The memo targeted Catholics for beliefs like being “pro-life” and “pro-family,” leading to interviews of church leaders and surveillance.
Catholic leaders decried this violation. William Donohue of the Catholic League said, “The FBI’s use of SPLC’s radical agenda to spy on loyal Catholics is a grotesque First Amendment violation.” Bishop Joseph Strickland called it “a scandalous abuse,” urging, “Catholics deserve justice.” The SPLC, a tax-exempt organization, fueled this by labeling Christian groups as “hate groups,” enabling the FBI’s overreach.
Grassley’s December 4, 2023, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing exposed Wray’s evasions. Despite evidence from Buffalo, Louisville, Portland, and Milwaukee field offices, Wray claimed the memo was isolated. Grassley’s January 31, 2024, letter with 15 Republican senators demanded answers on deleted records, with then-Deputy Director Paul Abbate ordering their “permanent removal.” Grassley fumed, “The FBI’s contempt for oversight is unfathomable.” The House Judiciary Committee’s December 4, 2024, report confirmed the memo’s nationwide reach, targeting Catholics for their faith.
The SPLC’s role is indefensible. Its “hate map” provided a veneer of legitimacy to the FBI’s unconstitutional actions, weaponizing a tax-exempt organization against religious freedoms. Former FBI Agent Stuart Kaplan called it “a cover-up of anti-Catholic bias enabled by SPLC’s activism.” Congress must revoke the SPLC’s 501(c)(3) status, as its partisan targeting of faith groups undermines its nonprofit purpose and fuels government abuse.
Wray’s lies and the SPLC’s complicity erode public trust. Grassley’s December 9, 2024, “no confidence” letter blasted Wray’s “disdain for oversight.” Congress must hold Wray accountable through subpoenas and summon him and former Attorney General Merrick Garland to testify. Simultaneously, the IRS should strip the SPLC’s tax-exempt status for its role in this scandal. Catholics and all Americans deserve protection from such politicized surveillance. Grassley’s leadership in the Senate Judiciary Committee must drive these actions to ensure no director or organization can weaponize federal power against faith communities again.
Southern Poverty and Law Center. Awe, doesn't that sound so sweet. I mean we all love the South, and we all want to help the poor upholding law and justice for all. But during Obama's reign of terror, I called the SPLC a terrorist organization. Some guy told me I was crazy, they do good work for the people. I said no, their attacking Jews, Christians, and others on the right. Its become a front name to hide the fact they are conducting hate filled acts that socialists, communist, and islamic radicals want them to conduct against their opponents. That is the same tactic that hitler and his Brown Shirts used during his rise to power in the 1930's. Today Jews say "we are the canary in the coal mine, when they attack us, its the beginning of hostilities." I tell them wrong, I warned you guys back under Obama's time that when you see them attacking the Christians first, don't feel safe because they will attack you next. That's what hitler did. His Brown Shirts attacked the Protestants and any preacher who aligned with the Bible and the Jews. The weak ones fell to intimidation. The stronger ones were beaten and tortured into submission. The ones who remained faithful to the end were murdered, others went into silence and began doing the underground work of trying to get Jews moved out of the nation. Once the nazi's controlled the church's, they began preaching a false doctrine of hatred of Jews using some books Martin Luther had written in his later years expressing his hatred of Jews. Luther only found 95 false teachings of the vatican, so he knew very little about God's word and he got into heated arguments with Jews over the scriptures, and of course Jews don't know the NT, so both sides were blind to some truths of God's word. Once the nazi's filled the people full of Jew hatred, they began rounding up the Jews and eventually the wholesale murder of them and others the nazi's hated. Unfortunately hatred is a very powerful tool that easily controls the masses of people. We have seen the rise of sweet sounding names for organizations which are nothing other than lgbtq, marxists, socialists, islamic radicals all pretending to be sweet innocent and peaceful people yet their fruit is rotten as they attack Jews, Christians, and patriots as being domestic terrorists. And as I said, Obama attacked the Christians first, then as soon as Biden took office the attacks upon Jews skyrocketed. They have been unsuccessful in a complete takeover of the US like hitler pulled on Germany because some of us refuse to remain silent and keep pushing back with the truth hoping the people will have their eyes opened to the truth that the left is lying to us and they are truly trying to take over full power and control to dominate the land. Thanks to groups like Act for America, First Liberty, Hillsdale College, and other Biblical based groups for leading the way for truth to prevail. Don't be fooled by their words, look at their fruit, if its rotten, they are rotten even though their words sound good. Jefferies said we are not nazi's as he called for exposing ICE agents to be attacked. Yet he is using the nazi tactic of accusing his opponent of what he himself is guilty of and the nazi tactic of using gang members to violently attack his opponents. So you know by his rotten fruit that he is filled with all manner of evil. Keep the faith, with God all things are possible and He can turn this around if we repent and seek Him in prayer for guidance and help. He can take what was meant for evil and turn it around for good if we remain faithful and do what He calls us to do. May God bless you all.
Isn’t this enough information to have him arrested?