The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and 41 other religious and civil rights groups wrote to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann Thursday to protest her allegations connecting high level U.S. government officials to the Muslim Brotherhood. "We write to raise our voices in protest," the groups said in a letter to Bachmann and four Republican colleagues who have joined her effort. Bachmann, who requested that Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin be investigated, has run into a torrent of criticism from Democrats as well as some prominent Republicans in Congress. She has ignored calls for apologies, and instead has broadened her allegations by saying that Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison also has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Bachmann actions, the groups' letter states, "question the loyalty of faithful Americans based on nothing more than their religious affiliations and what is at best tenuous evidence of their associations. "As such," the letter continues, "your actions have serious implications for religious freedom and the health of our democracy." A Bachmann spokesman said she had no comment. Letter to Reps Bachmann Franks Gohmert Rooney and Westmoreland From 42 Organizations 7-26-12