Fact Check Team: FBI in question after sending undercover agent into Catholic church

WASHINGTON (TND) — A leaked report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation is drawing major criticism from Republicans who say the agency was targeting Catholics.

The document showed that the FBI sent at least one undercover agent into the Catholic church and proposed that agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to gain sources within the church.

The bureau was specifically looking into a smaller group of ultra-traditionalist priests that practice “Latin Mass” and its members are typically referred to as "radical traditionalists," who usually lean far-right.

The whistleblower who leaked the report said this was an effort to find white supremacists because it claims that violent extremists have sought out Catholic churches. The FBI has since said that the document was removed from its system and the matter is under review but Republicans aren’t happy.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray letting him know he’s being subpoenaed. This is the latest move in Jordan’s probe into the FBI for allegedly misusing domestic violent extremism resources.

He said that the agency engaging in outreach prevents Americans who go to church from being able to freely exercise their First Amendment rights and suggests that certain Catholics “may be domestic terrorists.”

This is not the first time the FBI has faced heat from Republicans over targeting a small group. Last year, the FBI was heavily criticized by House Republicans for allegedly targeting parentsat school board meetings.

It's worth noting, however, that the FBI carried out similar surveillance operations in the early 2000s following the 9/11 attacks. Agents infiltrated student groups and mosques, sometimes for years, seeking information on any potential Muslim radicals. In 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against the government, alleging that federal agents had violated constitutional protections.

So, what do Americans think about the FBI's covert surveillance operations?

A poll from Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy found that half of Americans trust the FBI “most of the time” or “just about always" — 40% and 10%, respectively. That number is significantly higher than trust in the federal government overall, which is about one-fourth. Meanwhile, only one in five Americans say they trust the FBI “hardly ever.”

Polling from Gallup also shows that 50% of people think the FBI is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, while 28% think it’s doing poorly.

There is a partisan split. Trust is significantly higher among Democrats than Republicans and Independents. Numbers from the Penn State poll show that only 4% of Republicans say they “just about always” trust the FBI, compared to 17% of Democrats.

There were relatively few differences between groups but millennials did have somewhat higher levels of trust in the FBI than Gen X or Gen Z.

In terms of the Justice Department as a whole, a Morning Consult/Politico poll found that a majority of American voters think the DOJ allows external politics to influence its decisions to prosecute federal crimes. This isn’t too surprising though as there have been calls by Republicans for years to investigate the DOJ and reign in the FBI, especially after its raid of Mar-a-Lago.

Poll numbers from Gallup show that 35% of people think the DOJ is doing a “good” or “excellent” job, while 30%% think they are doing a poor job.