It was further disclosed that the federal investigators asked banks to use search terms such as "TRUMP" and "MAGA" when surveilling customer data in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Furthermore, individuals who shopped at stores like Cabela's or Dick's Sporting Goods, or purchased religious texts like a bible, may also have had their transactions flagged.
"This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with and at the request of federal law enforcement, into Americans' private transactions is alarming and raises serious concerns about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) respect for fundamental civil liberties," the January 17-dated committee press release included.
The committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) demanded testimony from FinCen's former Strategic Operations Division Director Noah Bishoff. "The Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained documents indicating that following January 6, 2021, FinCEN distributed materials to financial institutions that, among other things, outline the 'typologies' of various persons of interest and provide financial institutions with suggested search terms and Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for identifying transactions on behalf of federal law enforcement," the Ohio Republican said in the letter. He said that the "materials included a document recommending the use of generic terms like 'TRUMP' and 'MAGA' to 'search Zelle payment messages.'" (Related: The beneficial ownership information reporting rule and the surveillance state.)
We now know the federal government flagged terms like “MAGA” and “TRUMP,” to financial institutions if Americans completed transactions using those terms.
What was also flagged? If you bought a religious text, like a BIBLE, or shopped at Bass Pro Shop. pic.twitter.com/jjRaVNItWz
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) January 17, 2024
The agency also reportedly passed along its analysis of "Lone Actor/Homegrown Violent Extremism Indicators" to financial institutions to "help the government look for suspects involved in J6 riot," according to Jordan, which warned that extremism indicators include purchases such as "bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel to areas with no apparent purpose" or "the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views."
"In other words, FinCEN urged large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges based on protected political and religious expression," Jordan further argued.
In a separate letter, Jordan also asked FBI Director Christopher Wray for transcribed interviews of Peter Sullivan, senior private sector partner for FBI's Outreach in the Strategic Partner Engagement Section about the bureau's "mass accumulation and use of Americans' private information without legal process; the FBI's protocols, if any, to safeguard Americans' privacy and constitutional rights in the receipt and use of such information; and the FBI's general engagement with the private sector on law-enforcement matters."
It was revealed that at the request of the FBI, Bank of America "voluntarily and without any legal process" snooped through the information of anyone making certain purchases in and around Washington before and after the J6 protests. As per Jordan, Sullivan provided the U.S.'s second-largest bank with specific search terms to look for as it looked over customer data. Federal investigators also reportedly asked the bank for information on customers who made debit or credit card purchases in D.C., reserved hotels and Airbnbs in and around the capital, patronized weapons stores and made airline reservations within the timeframe surrounding the attacks.
Trump vows to fight debanking of individuals based on their political views
During a campaign speech in New Hampshire earlier this week, former President and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump promised to place strong protections to "stop the banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your political beliefs, what they do. "That will never happen while I am your president," he said.
Trump: We’re going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your— your political beliefs what they do. They want to debank you. We’re going to debank— think of this. They want to take away your country. Electric cars pic.twitter.com/eJpPyuosG8
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 18, 2024
He was reportedly referring to customers who've been kicked off payment platforms in recent years. So when Trump said he'd "stop banks and regulators" from trying to "debank" people, he seemed to be saying he'd stop companies and federal officials from trying to sever extremists from financial resources they can use to survive or thrive.
The former president did not elaborate, but people thought that he was referring to a handful of instances in which JPMorgan Chase closed an account or denied service to a conservative organization. In one case, the bank said it closed an account because it needed more information about the account holder's donors. In another, a subsidiary of the financial institution withdrew from a business deal related to a political fundraiser featuring Donald Trump Jr. JPMorgan ultimately reversed its decision.
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