Former President Donald Trump recently came up with bold accusations on President Joe Biden, who is a Catholic, of engaging in a Soviet-style crackdown on Catholics in the U.S via Mediaite.
“Under Crooked Joe Biden. Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted like nothing this nation has ever seen before,” Trump claimed in a campaign clip this week, adding:
“Catholics in particular are being targeted and evangelicals are surely on the watch list as well. Over the past three years, the Biden administration has sent SWAT teams to arrest pro-life activists. The FBI has been caught profiling devout Catholics as possible domestic terrorists and planning to send undercover spies into Catholic churches, just like in the old days of the Soviet Union.
Catholics, you can not vote for the Democrats. You can not even think about voting for Biden. What they’re doing to you is shocking. As president, I will create a new federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias. It will be led by a reformed Department of Justice, but it will involve many agencies and departments. Its purview will be to investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment and the persecution of Christians in America, as well as the use of taxpayer dollars to promote anti-Christian bigotry.”
“Among other initiatives, the task force will review the past DOJ persecutions and prosecutions for evidence of anti-Christian prejudice. And it will also look at government agencies, universities, and major corporations that have adopted anti-Christian diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” Trump concluded.
Trump appeared to be referring to a leaked FBI memo reported on in conservative media that cited concerns about “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” Axios reported on the memo in April of 2023 and noted it “suggested developing sources in local parishes” as part of identifying far-right activists and threats of domestic violence.
“We now know the FBI, relying on information derived from at least one undercover employee, sought to use local religious organizations as ‘new avenues for tripwire and source development,’” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said at the time as he subpoenaed further information from the FBI.
“I saw the document… it’s appalling,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the memo when asked to testify before the U.S. Senate.
