The Biden administration has admitted that it monitored Americans’ private financial transactions for words like “MAGA,” “Trump” and “Kamala” after the Jan. 6 riots.
Federal investigators from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have ordered banks to comb through their data looking for “extremists.”
A letter from the Ministry of Finance, seen by Fox newswas sent to Senator Tim Scott on Friday, stating that “exchange events” began “shortly after January 6 under the previous administration.”
It said it “contained terms such as ‘antifa,’ ‘MAGA,’ ‘Trump,’ ‘Biden,’ ‘Kamala,’ ‘Schumer,’ and ‘Pelosi.’
The federal government specifically “looked” at Trump supporters and Americans who frequent outdoor stores such as Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops, as well as those who purchased religious texts such as a Bible.
The Biden administration has admitted to monitoring Americans’ private financial transactions for words like “MAGA,” “Trump” and “Kamala” after the Jan. 6 riots
Federal investigators from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have ordered banks to scour their data for ‘extremists’
The federal government specifically “looked” at Trump supporters and Americans who frequent outdoor stores such as Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops, as well as those who purchased religious texts such as a Bible.
The Treasury Department letter marks the first time the Biden administration has confirmed the use of keywords searched by investigators during the Jan. 6 riot.
It was signed by Acting Assistant Secretary Corey Tellez and was in response to a letter from Scott, who serves on the Senate Banking Committee, to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seeking answers.
Scott claimed the surveillance “represents a blatant violation of American privacy and unduly targets American citizens for exercising their constitutional rights without due process.”
The Republican politician had previously voted for the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, which would allow the FinCEN Exchange program to share data between law enforcement agencies and financial institutions in an effort to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
FinCEN provided materials to banks proposing to search and filter private financial data using keywords and search terms.
This was to help law enforcement find people of interest ahead of Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, and after the January 6 riots.
The searches were found during an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee and Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government.
They discovered documents showing that FinCEN warned financial institutions that an “extremism indicator” could be “the purchase of books (including religious texts),” such as the Bible, and subscriptions to certain media “containing extremist views.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers she would investigate why the department sent instructions to banks on how to search Americans’ transaction data
A letter from the Treasury Department, seen by Fox News, was sent to Senator Tim Scott on Friday, stating that “exchange events” began “shortly after January 6 under the previous administration.”
According to the report released in January by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the terms “MAGA” and “Trump” were also suggested by the department to search in Zelle payments.
“Did you shop at Bass Pro Shop or buy a Bible yesterday? If so, the federal government may be watching you,” Jordan wrote on X at the time.
“We now have federally flagged terms like ‘MAGA’ and ‘TRUMP’ for financial institutions when Americans complete transactions using those terms,” he wrote in another post.
“Whatever was marked? If you have purchased a religious text, such as a BIBLE, or shopped at Bass Pro Shop.”
Furthermore, officials warned banks about indicators of “extremism” such as purchasing a bus or plane ticket “for travel to areas without a clear purpose” or purchasing a religious text such as a Bible, documents show.
Subscriptions to news media with “extremist” views would also be an indicator of financial instructions to watch, according to the material provided to banks by the Treasury Department.
The report sparked a wave of backlash against the Biden administration from Republicans demanding answers about the government’s spying tactics.
In addition, during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, Republican Senator Scott reprimanded the Treasury Secretary over the department’s supervisory instructions.
“FinCEN was created to stop money laundering, not to spy on Americans,” he said. “It wasn’t made for political motives.”
