Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday released new findings about how a case of mistaken identity landed a Catholic school teacher on a terrorist watch list.
The publication will take place on the five-year anniversary of January 6, 2021, and is part of Paul's investigation into Quiet Skies, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). internal surveillance programwhich he describes as an example of the federal government's use of “watch lists.”
Newly obtained Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents detail the case of Christine Crowder, a Texas Catholic schoolteacher who traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, to attend a Trump rally. (RELATED: Investigators seized 30 million lines of phone records on January 6 to track down Trump allies)
“A free society cannot tolerate a system in which programs and authorities designed to ensure public safety are instead weaponized against them because of mere suspicion,” Paul said in a press release.
The FBI named Crowder a domestic terrorist for allegedly breaking into the U.S. Capitol, although her phone data indicated she was at a different location, facial recognition was inconclusive, and she had no criminal record or history of extremist activity, Paul previously said in a September interview hearing.
According to Paul's findings, her presence at the rally was enough to keep her on the watch list for more than two years, during which time her family was subject to surveillance while traveling by air.
“The records released today show how unverified information that the FBI was unable to substantiate led to nearly two years of surveillance of an innocent American,” Paul's statement continued. “I am grateful to FBI Director Kash Patel for his cooperation in creating these records, and I am grateful to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for ending the Quiet Skies program. The behavior revealed in these documents underscores the need to limit the power of faceless bureaucrats who have too often violated people's rights.”
Christina Crowder's husband and Senior Federal Air Marshal Mark Crowder testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on September 30, 2025, that his wife was mistakenly placed on the terrorist watch list and under FBI surveillance and the Federal Air Marshal Service for more than two years.
According to Paul's report released Tuesday, the FBI allegedly conducted physical surveillance of Crowder's home at least four times in an attempt to identify her and her property. The investigation began with an anonymous tip from a “former friend” who claimed to have recognized Crowder from the Jan. 6 news.
In June 2021, the FBI formally opened a case and recommended that Crowder be placed on the watch list, although initial checks did not reveal any findings related to geolocation data, facial recognition matches, criminal history, or ties to extremist activity. Despite those findings, the bureau said Crowder unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol and recommended adding her to the watch list and giving her “selected” status.
The following month, the FBI began surveillance of Crowder's home. Just 12 days later, agents approved documents naming her as a domestic terrorist and adding her to the terrorist screening dataset. (RELATED: Cash Patel Wants the FBI to Stop the Spy Game—Here's Where He Could Start)
We were told to camouflage ourselves between peanuts or treat us as if we were landing a plane. Such absurdity led to the creation of secret watchlists, where spite or bias could brand us as a threat.
We have put an end to Silent Skies, but we must stop government secrecy, over-classification and surveillance… pic.twitter.com/TZskPoDOxx
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) September 30, 2025
It wasn't until May 2022—nearly a year into the investigation—that the FBI interviewed an anonymous tipster and his wife who claimed to have seen a video Crowder allegedly posted on Facebook from inside the Capitol.
According to Paul's report, the U.S. Attorney's Office accepted the case for prosecution based solely on the tip, without fully verifying Crowder's identity, and recommended that the FBI conduct a social media analysis. In July 2022, prosecutors said they would proceed even without identification through physical surveillance, and in October the FBI executed a search warrant on Crowder's Facebook account through a law enforcement portal.
“This case is an example of misplaced priorities and everything that has gone wrong with federal law enforcement since the events of January 6,” FBI Director Cash Patel said in a press release.
Crowder herself did not give interviews until May 2023. During this interview she provided FBI agents with clothing she was wearing on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as a travel receipt showing she was at a different location at the time she was accused of being at the Capitol. (RELATED: FBI Used Nearly 300 Agents as 'Pawns in Political War' on Jan. 6)
Nearly two years after the investigation began—and more than a month after a confidential source provided a photograph confirming the case was a case of mistaken identity—the FBI closed the investigation. According to the findings, the case was dismissed due to negative geofencing and facial recognition results, inconsistencies in the initial tip and evidence provided during Crowder's interview.
“When a Catholic kindergarten teacher from Texas can be monitored for more than two years simply for being in Washington, D.C. without entering the Capitol or committing a crime, we have moved from a legitimate investigation to political abuse,” Patel's statement continued. “This is not equal justice under the law. Senator Paul is right to demand accountability, transparency and an end to investigations that target Americans for their beliefs or affinity rather than for evidence.”
