RICHMOND, Va. — Five FBI analysts who worked in the Richmond field office received notices Friday that they were being fired.
The terminations are the latest tied to the Trump administration's efforts to target federal law enforcement and stem from the Richmond Catholic Memo — an 11-page document leaked in January of 2023 that examined a potential link between violent extremists and what is called radical traditionalist Catholic ideology.
The memo drew intense political scrutiny and was immediately withdrawn by the FBI.
In 2024, an internal review and a Justice Department Inspector General report concluded that the memo violated professional standards but showed no evidence of intentional misconduct or malicious intent.
Under the direction of FBI Director Kash Patel, the case reemerged. Last month, the Trump administration released a report describing the weaponization of the Justice Department by the Biden administration, citing the Richmond Catholic Memo as an example.
David Laufman, a lawyer representing the five fired employees, gave a statement calling the action "manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts, and in violation of FBI policy and procedure."
Laufman said "these individuals deserved far better for the exceptional public service they rendered."
Dr. John Aughenbaugh, a political science professor at VCU, says the terminations are the latest in a string of unprecedented firings tied to political retribution by the Trump administration.
"What is going on right now in the Trump administration is unheard of," Aughenbaugh said. "It's very troubling for those of us who want to see law enforcement of the federal government be independent no matter who is president."
Aughenbaugh says unlike most federal government employees, FBI agents and analysts do not receive the same type of civil service protections to appeal terminations and therefore must file a lawsuit if they want to challenge terminations on constitutional grounds.
"I've got to think this is going to hurt morale across the FBI, and I can't think it's going to do much to improve the desire of young people who want to work for the FBI," Aughenbaugh said.
Director Patel posted on social media Friday that "the FBI will never infringe on religious freedom." An FBI spokesperson says the agency does not comment on personnel matters.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
