The U.S. State Department has issued a directive asking employees to report instances of alleged anti-Christian bias that may have occurred during former President Joe Biden's administration, despite no current evidence that such discrimination took place, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Biden and the State Department on Sunday via email and online form for comment.
Why It Matters
This latest initiative comes amid significant anxiety within the diplomatic corps about pending budget and staff cuts related to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that is expected to be presented to the White House on Monday.
The investigation into alleged religious bias represents a shift in priorities under President Donald Trump's administration, potentially affecting workplace policies and the department's internal culture.
Anti-Religious Accusations
Trump previously claimed that then-President Joe Biden weaponized the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to attack his political opponents, including Christians.
In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.
"Under Crooked Joe Biden, Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted like nothing this nation has ever seen before," Trump wrote.
He continued: "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."
It's worth noting that Biden himself identifies as Catholic and regularly attends church, while Trump, who was raised and confirmed as Presbyterian, announced in 2020 that he now identifies as a nondenominational Christian.
A leaked FBI document from February 2023 said the bureau's Richmond, Virginia, office had warned agents of an extremist threat posed by "radical-traditionalist Catholics" (RTC), whom the bureau said was a small minority within the Catholic Church. The memo was then removed because the federal agency said it didn't meet the "exacting standards of the FBI."
Last April, the FBI was exonerated by a DOJ review that found investigators did not intend to target traditional Catholics as potential "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists," Fox News reported. The DOJ Inspector General review noted that analysts "incorrectly conflated" an investigative subject's religious views with his alleged domestic terrorism activities.
What To Know
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a cable to all U.S. diplomatic missions on Friday requesting staffers to report any perceived discriminatory actions against Christians between January 2021 and January 2025.
According to the cable, which was obtained by the AP, allegations will be investigated by a government-wide task force on anti-Christian bias, with potential disciplinary actions if discrimination is found. Reports can be submitted anonymously.
The directive specifically seeks reports of alleged anti-Christian bias including formal or informal actions taken against employees who requested religious accommodations from mandatory vaccines, those who refused to participate in events inconsistent with their religious beliefs, and cases involving personal pronoun policies.
The initiative coincides with the recent appointment of Lew Olowski to temporarily lead the department's human resources office. In his first address to new diplomats, Olowski referenced Biblical verses and religious themes, telling them that "the Constitution is our commandment" and that its words are "like the word of God."
The American Foreign Service Association and the American Academy of Diplomacy have said Olowski's appointment was "an affront to the long-held standard that the post be occupied by either a current senior or retired career diplomat."
What People Are Saying
Cable from the State Department obtained by the AP sent Friday to all U.S. diplomatic missions: "The task force will collect information and ideas from individuals and groups, including Department employees, affected by anti-Christian bias or other religious discriminatory conduct."
It continues: "The task force is soliciting examples of anti-religious bias, particularly from the past four years, where the Department targeted anyone for their religion, including discrimination, harassment, exclusion, disciplinary action, adverse security clearance determinations, or any other adverse action, or in retaliation for exercising their religious rights. This includes anti-religious bias committed by department employees in their official duties against members of the public."
What Happens Next?
The State Department will continue collecting reports while simultaneously preparing for a potential reorganization.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
