Justice Barrett has been exceedingly critical of the Department of Justice in general and the Federal Bureau of Investigations in particular in recent months, highlighting their efforts to target Catholics as potential “domestic terrorists.” The FBI was not pleased by this.

To be clear, I have no idea if accusations against People of Praise are real or manufactured. In past years I may have assumed they were real because the FBI wouldn’t engage in investigations stemming from baseless claims… or so I thought way back then. Today, it seems possible that they’re manufacturing charges to smear a Supreme Court Justice that went after them and they may even get to take out some Christian “domestic terrorists” in the process.

But even if it turns out the abuse charges against the group are real, it doesn’t change the fact that sentiment and trust toward the FBI have been obliterated in recent years. Many of our readers haven’t trusted the FBI for decades, perhaps dating back to when Ron Paul, John F. Kennedy, or even Dwight D. Eisenhower tried to warn us about them. I’m late to the party, but whether this case is real or manufactured, I still have a hard time believing any investigation against conservatives, populists, Christians, anti-globalists, or any other threats to the Deep State are real.

Here are the details from Ben Wilson at Washington Free Beacon:

The FBI is reportedly probing a Christian faith group that counts Catholic Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett as a member, months after Republicans accused the agency of targeting Catholics.

The agency has interviewed several people who claim they were abused by members of the group, People of Praise, sources told the Guardian. Barrett, who was elevated to the Supreme Court by former president Donald Trump, has been a member of the South Bend, Indiana-based group for decades.

It is not clear whether the agency has launched a full investigation or is just conducting interviews. Some former members have accused the group of covering up abuse, the Guardian reported:

The individuals were contacted following a years-long effort by a group called PoP Survivors, who have called for the South Bend-based sect to be investigated for leaders’ handling of sexual abuse allegations. The body, which has 54 members, has alleged that abuse claims were routinely mishandled or covered up for decades in order to protect the close-knit faith group.

During Barrett’s confirmation process in October 2020, her critics hammered on her association with People of Praise, framing the group as radical and misogynistic. Media outlets publicized allegations against the group by a former member who, the Washington Free Beacon reported, has a history of far-fetched claims, litigiousness, and hyper-partisanship.

The development comes two months after House Republicans said they uncovered evidence that shows multiple FBI field offices worked together to target traditionalist Catholics. Republicans also revealed in April that the FBI created a plan to cultivate sources inside Catholic churches to investigate alleged religious extremism.

Sound off about this story on my Substack.