Former FBI Director Christopher Wray has been referred to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation by the Oversight Project, a government watchdog group based in Washington, D.C.

The referral alleges that Wray made false statements to Congress and obstructed proceedings in two separate investigations involving FBI activity—the agency’s handling of a memo targeting Catholic Americans and its alleged suppression of a probe into a Chinese mail-in voting scheme.

The Oversight Project, which operates under the Heritage Foundation, submitted the referral earlier this week, citing Wray’s testimony regarding the so-called Richmond memo and a separate matter involving counterfeit driver’s licenses allegedly linked to Chinese operatives during the 2020 election cycle.

The Richmond memo, which became public in early 2023 through whistleblower disclosures, originated from the FBI’s Richmond Field Office and proposed monitoring certain Catholic communities for signs of “radical traditionalist” extremism.

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The memo suggested the use of clergy and parish staff as “tripwires” and encouraged surveillance of online communities associated with the Traditional Latin Mass.

FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin initially exposed the existence of the memo, prompting the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government to launch an investigation in February 2023.

During a July 2023 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Wray acknowledged the memo and attempted to downplay its scope.

“Well, what I can tell you is you’re referring to the Richmond product, which is a single product by a single field office, which as soon as I found out about it, I was aghast and ordered it withdrawn and removed from FBI systems,” Wray said.

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Despite Wray’s characterization, the Oversight Project claims this statement was misleading or false, suggesting the memo reflected broader agency sentiment or was not immediately retracted as Wray indicated.

The second allegation centers on an investigation into counterfeit driver’s licenses allegedly manufactured by the Chinese Communist Party and shipped into the United States.

According to declassified information released in June 2025 by Senator Chuck Grassley, the FBI received intelligence that the CCP was involved in producing thousands of fake IDs.

The documents allege that these IDs were intended to be used for fraudulent mail-in voting in the 2020 presidential election to benefit Joe Biden.

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Senator Grassley’s disclosure indicates that the FBI blocked the investigation into the alleged plot, effectively burying the matter.

The Oversight Project asserts that Wray knowingly misled Congress about the FBI’s actions and participation in suppressing the probe.

Oversight Project President Mike Howell stated in an interview with Fox News Digital, “We’re asking officials to examine Director Wray’s congressional testimony about both the Richmond memo and the alleged Chinese election interference. The facts do not align with what Director Wray told Congress, and that must be addressed.”

The FBI has previously stated that the Richmond memo was retracted upon discovery and described it as inconsistent with the agency’s values.

Wray has also described the memo as “appalling.”

This marks the latest development in a series of Republican-led efforts to investigate alleged political bias and misconduct within the FBI.

The Oversight Project’s criminal referral adds to the growing scrutiny over the agency’s actions under Wray’s leadership during and after the 2020 election cycle.

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