It's possible the visitor at the end of the pew may not have joined Sunday morning worship with pure motives.
At least one U.S. senator is up in arms over findings from the House Judiciary Committee released this week that said the FBI used an informant on at least one occasion to infiltrate a local Catholic church. Records show there were also efforts to develop sources within Catholic diocese on the pretext of combatting what the agency labels as "domestic terrorism."
Concerning as an isolated incident of spying on church members might be, the House findings represent another layer in a pattern of behavior that shows the DOJ is unconcerned with the rights of those who support traditional values. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) was quick to contact Attorney General Merrick Garland (pictured above) since Garland, in a March 1 exchange on Capitol Hill, told Hawley the Justice Department does not conduct interviews based on religion. The GOP lawmaker pressed further then and asked the AG how many informants he has in Catholic churches across America. Garland's response was vague at first before he became more definitive:
Garland: "I don't know … and I don't believe we have any informants aimed at Catholic churches. We have a rule against investigations based on First Amendment activity."
Hawley was a guest on Fox News program "Hannity" Tuesday night when host Sean Hannity asked him if he felt he'd been lied to by Garland. "It sure looks like it," the senator replied.
Hawley wants answers from AG
In a letter to Garland on Tuesday, Hawley demanded answers for what he called "false testimony" when the AG was questioned about arrests of people of faith. "Everyone involved with this chilling surveillance campaign must face accountability," Hawley wrote.
The letter specifically demanded that Garland provide immediate answers to three questions:
--How many undercover informants or other agents in Catholic parishes or other organizations does the Department work with or otherwise employ?
--How many undercover informants or other agents, in religious organizations more broadly, does the Department work with or otherwise employ?
--Within which, and how many, FBI field offices was guidance related to the infiltration of traditionalist Catholic parishes distributed?
"It is beyond the pale for the FBI to be going into any church in America and trying to spy on Americans – and now we know that's exactly what they were doing," Hawley stated on the Fox News program. "They are infiltrating churches. They are trying to spy on us. They regard churches, apparently, as the enemy and church-going Americans as akin to terrorists."
