James Elmer Mitchell claims that he is not a Mormon.
Jason Leopold, "James Mitchell: 'I'm just a guy who got asked to do something for his country'," The Guardian, April 18, 2014, accessed July 28, 2021
“Ninety percent of the stuff written about me is untrue,” he said, believing “fat guys in the basement” blogging about him are partially responsible. “People make up stuff about me. They say I’m a Mormon. I’m actually an atheist.”
Reports are not clear on James Elmer Mitchell's membership status. In 2007-2008, Katherine Eban of Vanity Fair and Jane Mayer of New Yorker both identify Mitchell as a Latter-day Saint. Additionally, Mitchell's comments denying his membership come approximately 12 years after the time of his CIA training.