(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The House Judiciary Committee has disclosed the secret tool employed by federal investigators in their “broad financial” surveillance of financial transactions involving alleged “domestic violent extremists,” including presumed supporters of former President Donald Trump.
According to a 36-page report announced on Thursday by the House Judiciary and the Weaponization Subcommittee, the FBI and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) utilized a covert “web portal” to guide major financial institutions in identifying targeted individuals.
🚨 #BREAKING: New Report Exposes Massive Government Surveillance of Americans’ Financial Data
The report reveals alarming evidence of federal law enforcement engaging in broad financial surveillance of the private transactions of Americans.
Read here: https://t.co/iiyFHOUIa0
— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) March 6, 2024
The “web portal” was developed by the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC), a public-private partnership led by the FBI’s Office of Private Sector and the DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
Participating entities included Barclays, U.S. Bank, Charles Schwab, HSBC, Bank of America, PayPal, and others, with Republicans asserting that the federal government used this tool to exchange information.
It’s alarming to see the federal government exploit partisan agencies to push their political agenda through financial surveillance.
Watch @Jim_Jordan’s full Q&A below 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/WvISWYspfy
— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) March 7, 2024
In a press statement, House Republicans emphasized, “This portal appears to have shared intelligence products with financial institutions that were used to identify individuals who fit the profile of criminal and ‘domestic violent extremists,’ often because of their conservative political views or other constitutionally protected activity.”
As outlined in the report, federal investigators utilized the web portal to disseminate reports and materials to banks, aiming to “commandeer” databases and conduct “sweeping” searches of Americans, Republicans alleged.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) March 7, 2024
Targeted keywords included “MAGA” and “TRUMP,” as well as books, religious texts, and purchases related to firearms. Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop and Dick’s Sporting Goods – establishments widely recognized and used by conservatives – were also targeted, according to Republicans.
“This surveillance extended beyond criminal suspicion, likely encompassing millions of Americans with conservative viewpoints or Second Amendment interests,” Republicans highlighted.
Tellingly, the warrantless searches targeted Americans not even suspected of committing any crimes, drawing the ire of congressional investigators.
“The pattern of financial surveillance uncovered in the report raises serious concerns about federal law enforcement’s and financial institutions’ commitment to respecting Americans’ privacy rights and fundamental civil liberties,” Republicans wrote.
