After Exposing Feds’ Bible Buyer Investigation, Look Who Shows Up!

FBI targets former news editor of Christian Action Network

It was quite the week.

Right after we dropped our latest bombshell article revealing the US Treasury Department’s law enforcement arm confessing that Bible buyers were under the criminal microscope—guess who showed up?

Two FBI agents, but not to ease any of our fears that Johnny Law was putting bible-toting grandmothers under criminal surveillance. But instead to pay a visit to our former news editor’s office.

Here’s the backstory: Christian Action Network (CAN) fired off a FOIA to the Treasury Department after Congressman Jim Jordan, head of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, rang this alarm bell in January:

“Did you shop at Bass Pro Shop yesterday or purchase a Bible? If so, the federal government may be watching you.”

It was a chilling revelation. The watchlist, a tool of surveillance and investigation, was hidden within the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Our request was straightforward: we wanted records from FICen about their illegal act of collecting names of Bible purchasers, a clear violation of the 1974 Privacy Act.

Their response? A classic bureaucratic slow walk. We were forced to wait nearly six months when they legally have 20 working days to respond. After patiently waiting a half-year, they finally sent a letter flat-out denying our FOIA request.

Their reasoning? Releasing such info would mess with criminal law enforcement.

Their message was clear: If you bought a bible, you’re a potential criminal.

The article hit like a storm, sending our readership numbers soaring and our Substack subscriber count through the roof.

But the plot thickens.

Less than a week post-publication, our ex-editor, Alec Rooney, found himself under the FBI’s microscope. Alec, a seasoned journalist with stints in major dailies across Tampa and Roanoke, had covered Trump’s fiery speech during the January 6, 2021 “Save America March," a rally that led to a storming of the Capitol by some attendees.

His editorial coverage painted a target on his back, marking him as a person of interest for the FBI, simply doing his job. In the Spring of 2022, the FBI contacted him, wanting to ask him some unspecified questions.

Given the rampant roundup and arrests of rally attendees on various charges—ranging from the serious to the absurdly trivial, like trespassing—we advised a lawyer-up approach. The FBI got the message and backed off, and there was dead silence for the next two years.

Fast forward nearly four years from that rally and days after our Bible-purchasing story, and they’re hounding Alec again.

This time, they wanted to quiz him again about his attendance at the rally and to “just look at some photos.” Alec, being wise to their game, referred them back to his attorney. They claimed they couldn’t reach him.

Isn’t it funny how the FBI can find Alec at his job but can’t find an attorney with a publicly listed office? Go figure.

Now, whether Alec’s recent visit from the feds was linked to our bombshell report last week isn’t really the point. Maybe the visit was, most likely not.

However, these incidents are not isolated. They are part of a larger pattern of the federal government’s relentless campaign to intimidate and instill fear. Their aim is to sow distrust and fear among ordinary, conservative-leaning Americans.

Oh, and if you think that’s being paranoid, consider this: I got a letter from a dear supporter, Amanda (not her real name), who, at 78, is too scared to sign any of our petitions.

“I live alone,” she wrote, “I don’t want the FBI breaking down my door. I have no spouse or children to defend me.”

Can you blame her?

When the FBI shows up at your workplace for attending a Trump rally as a conservative journalist, and the Treasury Department can add your name to a criminal database for buying a Bible, what does signing a petition get you?

It’s a sad day when the right to petition the government, enshrined in the First Amendment, feels like a dangerous act that could have FBI agents breaking down doors.

Martin Mawyer is president of the Christian Action Network, which he founded in 1990. Located in Lynchburg, VA, CAN was formed as a non-profit educational organization to protect America’s religious and moral heritage. He is the author of several books, including You Are Chosen: Prepare to Triumph in a Fallen World.