The FBI on Friday terminated five analysts connected to a disputed 2023 intelligence memorandum that warned of potential threats from Catholic “violent extremists,” their attorney said, marking the latest personnel action under Director Kash Patel.
The fired employees included four intelligence analysts and a supervisory analyst, according to David Laufman, a lawyer representing them. The FBI declined to comment on the terminations.
“This action is manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts, and subverts standard FBI policy and procedure,” Laufman said in a statement. “These individuals deserved far better for the exceptional and faithful public service they rendered to protect our country.”
The intelligence product, issued in January 2023 by analysts in the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia field office, emerged as a political flashpoint after its release. Republicans in Congress repeatedly cited it as part of their broader contention that the FBI under the Biden administration was targeting conservatives.
The memo, which warned of a potential threat from individuals motivated by a militant form of Catholic ideology, drew sharp criticism from conservatives and Catholic leaders who accused the bureau of anti-religious bias. Former President Donald Trump and his allies seized on the document as evidence of politicization within the law enforcement agency.
The firings are the latest in a series of personnel actions under Patel, who became FBI director in February 2026 after being nominated by Trump. Patel has carried out a broad restructuring of the bureau, including the termination of agents involved in investigations related to Trump, such as the classified documents probe and the January 6 Capitol attack.
Multiple former FBI employees have since filed lawsuits challenging their dismissals. In March, a group of former agents sued over firings tied to counterintelligence investigations, and in April, three agents who worked on Trump-related probes sued to regain their jobs.