The FBI is seeking to block the release of its records pertaining to a since-retracted memo that said that traditional Catholic communities presented an opportunity for surveillance.
The political advocacy organization CatholicVote sued the FBI in April, seeking to force the agency to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request that sought records pertaining to the FBI's drafting and dissemination of a memo at the agency's Richmond, Virginia field office that said "radical traditional Catholic" communities are possible sources of domestic extremism and cited the Southern Poverty Law Center. The FBI retracted the memo after it was leaked online.
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Last week, in a court filing, the FBI said that it should not be compelled to release records relating to the memo, saying that CatholicVote is "not entitled" to the records it sought, citing unnamed FOIA exemptions.
"Plaintiffs are not entitled to compel the production of records, or portions thereof, properly protected from disclosure by one or more FOIA exemptions or exclusions," the FBI said in its filing.
Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, addressed the memo during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, telling committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) that the agency was conducting an internal investigation of the drafting of the document.
The FBI and the Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
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Brian Burch, the president of CatholicVote, told the Washington Examiner in a statement that the judge hearing the case has scheduled a "briefing conference" later this month to discuss the FOIA request.
"Despite the FBI's efforts to block access to these documents, we are preparing to press the court to compel them to turn them over as quickly as possible," Burch said. "We are confident that the law supports our request, and are committed to defending the right of citizens to hold their government accountable in the face of what the Attorney General described as an 'appalling' abuse of power."