The J. Edgar Hoover FBI headquarters building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).
TheFederalBureauofInvestigation(FBI)specialagentwhooversawtheVirginiaofficeresponsibleforahighlycontroversialinvestigationintolocalCatholicswillleadthestate’ssafetyofficeunderitsnewDemocraticgovernor.
Gov.-electAbigailSpanbergernominatedStanleyMeadorasthenextVirginiasecretaryforpublicsafetyandhomelandsecurity,accordingtoaDecemberannouncement.
MeadorhasservedinseveralrolesintheFBI,includinginfieldofficesinSeattleandLasVegas,aswellasatthebureauheadquartersinWashington.
In2021hebecamespecialagentinchargeatthebureau’sRichmond,Virginiafieldoffice,whereheserveduntilJune2025.In2023thatofficeissuedamemotoagentslaunchinganinvestigationinto“radicaltraditionalist”Catholicsandtheirpossibletiesto“thefar-rightwhitenationalistmovement.”
Thatmemotouchedoffayears-longcontroversyovertheFBI’sinvestigationintoCatholics,includingreportsthatatleastonefede
