The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government issued its interim report this month outlining the abuse of financial data by the federal government. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, you should be outraged by this abuse of power and the utilization of information to pursue political objectives by leveraging personal data.
The Committee said they launched an investigation following a “whistle-blower” report that claimed Bank of America gave access to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with a list of individuals who used their cards during the January 6th, 2021 riots in Washington, DC.
The Committee reports that it has uncovered evidence that federal law enforcement “works hand in glove with financial institutions” without due process.
This includes the following claims:
- The FBI has manipulated the Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing process
- In the days and weeks after January 6, 2021, the FBI coordinated with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to encourage financial institutions across the country to scour their data and file SARs on hundreds of Americans, if not more, without any clear criminal nexus
- The government’s access to Americans’ private financial data is widespread and virtually unchecked.
- Financial institutions and FinCEN are expanding their capacity to surveil Americans through new, confidential projects and emerging technologies.
While the events of J6 are horrible and embarrassing, this does not mean the federal government should be given unbridled access to personal information. This, along with the scary reports of debanking encouraged by the Feds, should be challenged by the electorate as well as elected officials.
The report is available below.
