Federal Agency Asked Banks To Scrutinize Private Transactions For Terms Such As 'MAGA' And 'Trump' After Capitol Riots: Jim Jordan

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has called upon a former Treasury official for answers over the alleged flagging of transactions containing “TRUMP” or “MAGA” by the agency after the Jan.6 attack.

What Happened: Jordan, on behalf of the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, has requested a transcribed interview with Noah Bishoff, a former director of an office in the Strategic Operations Division of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The request was made in a letter to Bishoff, who was part of the Treasury Department. The letter, dated Jan. 17, stated that FinCEN had identified “typologies” of persons of interest and distributed materials to financial institutions after Jan. 6, 2021, which included “suggested search terms and Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for identifying transactions on behalf of federal law enforcement.”

These materials included a document recommending the use of generic terms like “TRUMP” and “MAGA” to “search Zelle payment messages” as well as a “prior FinCEN analysis” of “Lone Actor/Homegrown Violent Extremism Indicators,” the letter stated.

Jordan also highlighted that FinCEN had warned financial institutions of “extremism indicators,” such as transportation charges “for travel to areas with no apparent purchase” or “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 on the basis of protected political and religious expression," he said in the letter.

"Despite these transactions having no apparent criminal nexus — and, in fact, relate to Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights — FinCEN seems to have adopted a characterization of these Americans as potential threat actors."

"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 doubts about FinCEN's respect for fundamental civil liberties."

See Also: Amazon Is Reportedly Using A Secretly Disturbing Tactic To Get Rid Of Unwanted Employees

Why It Matters: Donald Trump, who is facing a series of lawsuits related to his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and retaining of classified documents, is the frontrunner in the Republican primary race. The former president has continued to maintain his innocence and has labeled his legal woes as a “witch hunt.”

Trump secured a decisive win in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, respectively. According to Real Clear Politics, at the national level, Trump held 61.4% support among GOP voters, While Haley trailed with 12% support and DeSantis with 10.7%.

Meanwhile, late-night comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, took a swipe at former President Trump‘s recent victory in the Iowa caucuses. : Kimmel on Tuesday sarcastically lauded Trump as a "gracious winner."

Photo by Lev Radin on Shutterstock

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