(Headline USA) A new book by author Peter Schweizer alleges President Joe Biden has been silent on China’s role in the fentanyl crisis because of his family’s business dealings with Chinese Communist Party-linked companies.
In one chapter, Schweizer points out Biden’s notable silence on China’s efforts to smuggle fentanyl into the U.S., despite his own son’s struggle with drug addiction and his past advocacy on that front.
NEW: President @JoeBiden shares a video buying fried chicken for a black family.
Senator @JoeBiden was the architect of the 1994 Crime Bill that sent millions of Americans to prison for doing what his son is doing right here.
“Joe Biden was outspoken in 1992 when it was exposed that Beijing was involved with the heroin trade,” Schweizer wrote, according to Fox News.
“The then-senator from Delaware showed initiative in calling out the communist leadership for its illicit activities, Schweizer added. “But now, with the far more deadly fentanyl crisis, he has grown silent.”
Biden made mention of the fentanyl crisis during his State of the Union address last year, but only promised “more drug detection machines and more inspections of cargo,” the book notes.
“What he never mentioned was Beijing’s hand in the matter,” Schweizer adds. “President Biden has been remarkably quiet in discussing China’s involvement in the drug trade; he does not challenge its leadership about their conduct.”
The reason for Biden’s silence seems to be the fact that “members of the first family received some $31 million in deals from a small group of Chinese businessmen with deep ties to the highest levels of Chinese intelligence,” the book says.
Some of the Chinese businessmen the Bidens worked with even have direct “ties to the fentanyl trade, including $5 million from a Chinese national who was a business partner with a notorious triad leader,” its says.
For example, Ye Jianming, a Chinese tycoon who gave Hunter Biden an interest-free $5 million loan and an $80,000 diamond as a gift, has been tied to a Chinese drug lord named White Wolf.
The drug lord works with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and “helps them in the production and distribution of fentanyl in the United States,” the book reveals.
Meyers began the interview by mentioning special counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s mishandling of classified information, which revealed the 81-year-old struggled to remember when he was vice president or when his son Beau died.
“According to recent polling, this is a real concern for American voters,” Meyers said. “How do you address that concern going forward as you come up to the 2024 election?”
Biden responded: “Well, a couple of things. No. 1, you gotta take a look at the other guy. He’s about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.”
Contrary to his claim, Biden has previously confused his wife, Jill, with his sister, Valerie. There are no reported incidents of his top rival, former President Donald Trump, having confused or forgotten the name of his wife, Melania.
Following the false claim, Biden proceeded to change subjects saying what mattered more than age was “how old your ideas are.”
Former President Donald Trump “wants to take us back,” Biden claimed. “He wants to take us [back] on Roe v. Wade. He wants to take us back on a whole range of issues that are 50, 60 years they’ve been solid American positions.”
Biden went on to trumpet the “good things” his administration had done before trailing off and appearing to lose his train of thought.
“And I really think [Trump’s] views on where to take America are older than—anyway, I don’t want to get going,” Biden said, prompting Meyers to move on to a different topic.
“What’s your 2024 agenda? Because I feel like we live in such crazy times that that is one of the things I feel we hear less about,” Meyers asked.
Unsurprisingly, Biden responded with a gaffe, describing his 2024 agenda as his “2020 agenda.”
“Look, the 2020 agenda is to finish the job,” he said. “Inflation’s down… 14 million new jobs, unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been for the longest time, we’re building wealth for people. We have to do more.”
Inflation is down only relative to the unprecedented levels it reached during Biden’s first two years in office, and recent data from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed that all of the employment growth in the final quarter of 2023 went to foreign-born workers.
It was unclear whether the “job” Biden was referring to was the so-called Great Replacement that his controversial open-border policies have set about to achieve by overwhelming the U.S. with illegal immigrants who will dillute the voting power of U.S. citizens and eventually lead to permanent majorities for Democrats if kept in a state of welfare dependency.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Former ATF official Peter Forcelli, who blew the whistle on the bureau’s Obama-era Operation Fast and Furious Scandal, said in a recent interview that the bureau’s current director, Steven Dettelbach, is a “tool for the gun-control lobby.”
Previewing that book, Forcelli sat down for an interview with firearms journalist David Codrea, recounting the events that led him to blowing the whistle on the ATF’s ill-conceived program—if it can be called that. In fact, Forcelli said Fast and Furious—which entailed the ATF purposely allowing illegal gun purchases under the guise of tracking organized crime—shouldn’t be considered a program at all.
“I never understood why folks called it a ‘program.’ It was a case that spiraled out of control,” Forcelli told Codrea.
“Fast and Furious, which, as you know, was actually called Jacob Chambers et. al, should have been a simple, straw purchase case. The straw purchasers should have been charged early on, and if they were, the gun that killed Brian Terry would have never crossed over the counter of the gun store,” he said.
“Instead, they decided to let the straw purchasers continue to purchase firearms, knowing that the guns were turning up in Mexico because they somehow believed that the traces from Mexico could somehow tie this case into a bigger conspiracy and result in the takedown of a cartel-driven firearms network.”
Forcelli added that some of the gun stores currently being sued by the government of Mexico for allegedly “facilitating arms trafficking” were actually encouraged to do so by the ATF.
Forcelli said he decided to go public as a whistleblower when ATF official Bill Newell told him to “steer clear” of agent John Dodson—who was also blowing the whistle on Fast and Furious at the time—warning that Dodson was about to be indicted.
“That was the straw. I didn’t even know John Dodson and wasn’t even sure if I had ever met him in passing, but the thought that dozens and dozens of criminals got a pass and they were even contemplating indicting John as a bridge too far,” he said. “Way too far.”
Forcelli’s interview with Codrea follows another interview the Second Amendment Foundation published earlier this month, where Forcelli said he believes that the government is still running Fast and Furious-type activities.
Forcelli told Codrea that he’s not surprised by Dettelbach’s incompetence.
“The agency fell into the hands of people who were more concerned with activism and less concerned with what most ATF Agents cared about—putting criminals in jail,” he said.
“The current Director, Steve Dettelbach, is a tool for the gun control lobby. He does not have the confidence of the rank and file. For the first time, ATF is having a retention issue as agents leave for other agencies, and that scares me,” he said.
“Who replaces the agents that joined for the right reasons? Most agents are pro-gun. Will the new ones share those views?”
(Headline USA) The Tennessee House voted this week to ban LGBT flags and other “political” flags from public schools in the state.
The bill, which passed the chamber in a 70-24 vote, would prohibit “displaying” flags that “represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to, a partisan, racial, sexual orientation, gender, or other ideological viewpoint … anywhere students may see the object.”
It also specified that the only flags public schools may display are the U.S. flag, the Tennessee flag, historical flags, Native American tribe flags, local government flags, other countries’ flags and college/university flags, according to the Tennessean.
Schools caught violating this law would be subject to lawsuits by parents or guardians of students who attend or are eligible to attend.
State Rep. Gino Bulso, the bill’s sponsor, said he introduced it after hearing complaints from parents about “political flags” being displayed in their students’ classrooms.
“What we’re doing is making sure parents are the ones who are allowed to instill in their children the values they want to instill,” Bulso said.
Debate over the bill was heated, with at least two Democrats who opposed it being kicked out of the gallery for talking over the proceedings.
“I am proud when I walk into the public schools in my city, to see the LGBTQ flag in the classrooms, proudly put up by teachers who understand the suffering that many of their students go through,” Democrat state Rep. Jason Powell yelled before being escorted out. “We should be welcoming and celebrating our students, not hating on them.”
Bulso responded by pointing out that parents who want to teach their children about LGBT issues are not being prevented from doing so by this bill.
“If you have parents across the state who want to instill in their children values represented by the [LGBT] pride flag, they are certainly entitled to do that,” he said. “On the other hand, if you have parents who want to instill values in their children that are not consistent with the values represented by the pride flag, they have the ability to do that.”
(Headline USA) Ousted CNN host Don Lemon will reportedly receive a $24.5 million payout from the network as part of a settlement reached nearly a year after his firing.
The payout equals the amount Lemon would have been paid had he stayed on with CNN through the end of his contract, which did not expire for another three-and-a-half years at the time of his firing, according to The Wrap.
Lemon was fired last April by then-CEO Chris Licht, who was later axed himself after the leftist outlet’s staff and on-air talent revolted following a town hall with former President Donald Trump.
Lemon was forced out after making several controversial remarks on air, including one about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her “prime,” and another to then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy about Ramaswamy’s minority status.
Having already been exiled from a prime-time slot to the network’s morning show due to his incendiary comments, Lemon also was reported to have behind-the-scenes friction with his two female cohosts
Despite the red flags, Lemon—who often invoked his black and gay identity on the air—claimed he was blindsided by his ouster and said Licht didn’t address it with him directly.
“I am stunned after 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon wrote on social media at the time. “At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”
Lemon plans to return to media with his own Twitter-based show, which he said will be “bigger, bolder, and freer.”
“The Don Lemon Show” will purportedly prioritize honest debate and discussion without “hall monitors,” Lemon said.
“It will be available to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening,” he added.
Breaking with leftist orthodoxy, Lemon celebrated Twitter—renamed “X” by new owner Elon Musk—as the “biggest space for free speech in the world.”
Lemon’s change of tune comes just a few months after he blasted CNN—in response to the Trump town hall—for platforming “liars and bigots and insurrectionists and election deniers and putting them on the same footing as people who are telling the truth, people who are fighting for what’s right, people who are abiding by the Constitution.”
The letter and powder prompted a visit from the local fire department, as well as the Hazmat unit.
Andrew Surabian, a Trump Jr. spokesman, said that “the test results of the substance came up inconclusive on what it was exactly, but officials on the scene do not believe it is deadly.”
Trump Jr. told the Daily Caller that such things have become increasingly acceptable because the mainstream media refuses to report on it when it happens to a Republican—especially one close to former president Donald Trump.
“It’s just become a little bit too commonplace that this sort of stuff happens,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Hazmat Unit Descends On Donald Trump Jr.’s Home After He Received Death Threat, White Powder [PHOTOS]
He suggested that “if this happened to a prominent Democrat,” the mainstream media would let the story “drive news coverage for weeks.”
But according to the son of the former president, such behavior—stoked by widespread fearmongering about his father—cannot be tolerated.
“It doesn’t matter what your politics are, this type of crap is unacceptable,” he added.
Unfortunately for Don Jr., he has been the victim of multiple death threats—which have, in turn, come close to harming his own family.
“This is actually the second white powder substance envelope that’s been mailed to me,” he said, noting that on a prior occasion, his wife and children were exposed to it.
“The last time we had this happen, it was during my father’s presidency and my then-wife opened it up with my kids by her side,” he continued. “So, it’s just sad that we live in a society where politics and the Left’s hatred of my father would drive people to do such crazy things, but that’s where we are unfortunately.”
Concerns that Democrats and their media allies may be tacitly encouraging assassination attempts on former President Trump have grown in recent months, including a report that an unidentified member of the press had joked about shooting him in a style similar to former President John F. Kennedy while waiting for Trump to arrive at a Washington, D.C., courthouse.
Moreover, multibillionaire leftist scion Alexander Soros was met with backlash for appearing to send a coded dogwhistle to violent leftist radicals when he retweeted an Atlantic illustration that had photos of a bullet hole and $47 in cash.
Last year, the crime and inflation crises largely evaporated. So did the leading theories about what had caused them. https://t.co/WguJQkj1PG
Trump, if re-elected, would be considered the 47th president due to his nonconsecutive terms, while Biden would still be the 46th.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked the GOP frontrunner about concerns over such an attack during an interview last August, to which Trump dismissively replied, “They are savage animals. They are people that are sick.”
Tucker: "It started with protests against you. Then it moved to impeachment twice. Now indictment. The next stage is violence. Are you worried that they are going to try to kill you?"
In a follow-up interview with conservative entertainer Adam Carolla, Carlson warned that an attempt on Trump’s life in 2024 seemed inevitable—whether coordinated by individual bad actors or by the government itself.
“Graph it out, man. We’re speeding towards assassination, obviously. And no one will say that, but I don’t know how you can’t reach that conclusion,” Carlson said.
“The desire to see Trump permanently sidelined through even the most extreme measures is non-partisan and deep-state driven,” he added. “They have decided—permanent Washington, both parties have decided—that there’s something about Trump that’s so threatening to them, they just can’t have it.”
Tucker Carlson on Democrats trying to stop Donald Trump: “We are speeding towards assassination obviously… They have decided that's there's something about Trump that's so threatening to them, they just can't have it.”
Anonymous sources revealed that Deputy District Attorney Jeff DiSantis—who has held numerous high prestige positions in the past, mostly within the Democratic Party—may have colluded with the current White House to target Trump.
DiSantis has “worked for candidates in 30 states running for a variety of offices, including President of the United States, United States Senator, Governor, United States Representative, Attorney General, District Attorney, and Mayor, as well as for a national political party committee,” noted one source. “He has served as a campaign manager, media consultant, pollster, press spokesman, research director, and policy advisor.”
The whistleblower also suggested that within the DA’s office, it was obvious that DiSantis was instigating the charges on the half of the Biden regime.
“He’s the one—he is the one pulling all the strings,” the source said. “He was the one that walled her [Willis] off. He was in every important meeting. He is the brainchild behind this. That is the connection to the White House.”
The allegation seems viable given DiSantis’s ties to the Democrats in Georgia and beyond. The rumor was confirmed by a second source within the same office.
“DiSantis is the one pulling the strings on this whole thing,” the second person said, noting that Willis lacked the intellect to succeed at her job.
“Everybody heard Fani testify,” said the source. “It’s no secret that she’s not smart. That is how she sounds and acts every day of the week.”
If the Biden administration planted the operative, such meddling might be grounds to prove that the current president interfered in the 2024 election.
The accusations come as no surprise given the corruption that has already been exposed inside Willis’s office.
Notably, Willis had an ongoing affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a man she selected to lead the case against Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants on racketeering charges related to the 2020 election.
Moreover, Willis and her staff already were known to have met with Vice President Kamala Harris on at least one occasion, a five-hour meeting, according to records, that took place one week prior to the grand jury’s recommendation to indict Trump.
The J6 committee’s work, which Thompson cherry-picked for his public presentations before deleting terrabytes of potentially excuplatory data, also formed the basis of the lawfare attack being waged by special counsel Jack Smith through the Department of Justice.
(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Canadian police announced Tuesday that a 14-year-old male has been arrested on child pornography charges, warning parents about a network of chat groups that promote Satanism, Nazism and pedophilia.
According to a press release from the Lethbridge Police Service, investigators received intelligence information late last month about someone participating in various group chats with violent extremists who target and groom young people, manipulating them to participate in self-harm, acts of violence and the distribution of child porn.
“The Lethbridge user was identified as a teenaged boy who had become entrenched in extremist ideologies propagated by a number of online groups,” the press release said.
“The youth’s online activity included posts depicting incidents of violence, weapons, self-harm and child sexual exploitation material.”
The press release said that the 14-year-old, who cannot be identified, is charged with making child pornography, distributing child pornography, possession of child pornography, non-consensual distribution of intimate images and making/possession of explosives (related to a video post involving a Molotov cocktail). He is scheduled to appear in youth court Wednesday.
BREAKING – ANOTHER 764 ARREST!
Police in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada released a warning today about the dangerous online child exploitation and extortion cult 764/Harm Nation after the arrest of a 14 year old boy affiliated with the group.
Lethbridge Police Service cited bulletin issued last September by the FBI, which warned the public about the Satanic cult “764,” which is an offshoot of the Order of the Nine Angles, or O9A—a neo-Nazi accelerationist group involved in multiple terrorist plots.
According to the Justice Department and others, O9A has a terroristic goal in mind: to corrupt the youth, which will accelerate the collapse of Western society.
The 764 cult “represents a radical shift in the group to specifically target children and use [child porn] and videos depicting animal cruelty, self-harm, and other acts of violence to accelerate chaos in society,” the DOJ said in recent court filings.
The FBI and other agencies have made a series of 764-related arrests in an apparent attempt to dismantle the network.
In November 2021, the FBI arrested 764 member Angel Almeida. Details of Almeida’s 764 activities weren’t made public until records about his case were unsealed late last year.
More recently, the Justice Department filed charges in December against another 764 member, Kalana Limkin, for allegedly promoting child pornography, sexual extortion, and trafficking, animal cruelty and self-harm of minors.
A month later, the FBI arrested alleged Satanic pedophile Richard “Rabid” Densmore on Jan. 31 for running an online forum for users to create, distribute, and stream child pornography featuring self-harm.
And most recently, US Marshals arrested 764 member Kyle Spitze.
Headline USA published its initial investigation into Spitze on Feb. 3. It can be read here.
(Headline USA) It’s been nearly four months since a judge tossed out the results of a Democratic mayoral primary in Connecticut’s largest city due to evidence of ballot stuffing, sending voters repeatedly back to the polls and thrusting Bridgeport into an unflattering national spotlight.
In the wake of a 2022 election where questions arose once again over Left’s cavalier attitude toward election integrity, particularly where absentee and mail-in voting are concerned, the intra-party scandal in the deep blue region, in which Democrat candidates accused each other of rigging the election, validated the concerns that many Republicans had long expressed with regard to the general election.
A do-over general election on Tuesday will mark the fourth time registered Democrats have voted for the city’s next mayor, after the judge voided the initial primary over surveillance footage that appeared to show a supporter of incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim putting multiple absentee ballots into a drop box.
This is the OUTRAGEOUS video of the Democrat Clerk stuffing illegal ballots into the City drop box and visiting it multiple times in one day
The culprit, city “operation specialist” Wanda Geter–Pataky, admitted in court that she had not been following Connecticut law regarding the handling of third-party ballots.
But subsequent video appeared to show supporters of Ganim’s challenger, John Gomes, doing the same thing.
For those counting, there have now been two primaries and one general election, which didn’t count.
Many frustrated local voters say they just want it settled for good.
“It’s very embarrassing,” said Luis DeJesus, 56, a lifelong Bridgeport resident who previously had voted for Gomes.
DeJesus said he was “really fed up” with the past results, in which Ganim appeared to have won—and likely won’t vote again on Tuesday.
“I’m really sorry. I can’t do it,” he said. “I can’t do it for only one person.”
Ganim went to prison for corruption during his first stint as mayor on 16 federal counts including racketeering, extortion, bribery, mail fraud and filing a false tax return.
He then regained his old job eight years ago in a remarkable political comeback.
The mayor, who worked in the same office as Geter–Pataky, has denied knowledge of the alleged ballot-box stuffing and called for statewide election reforms.
Gomes, who had previously worked as Ganim’s acting chief administrative officer, successfully sued to overturn the Sept. 12 primary showing he lost to his former boss by 251 votes out of 8,173 cast.
That meant the results of the subsequent November general election didn’t count and another primary was held in January, which again was won by Ganim.
Gomes is now running as an independent for the fourth face-off.
It’s just the latest election controversy in Bridgeport, a working-class Democratic stronghold of more than 148,000 residents. Accusations of absentee-ballot manipulation date back to at least 1986, when five of the city’s Democrats were arrested for collecting and possessing other people’s ballots.
This scandal, though, became a national talking point when the drop-box surveillance videos were first made public. Now the subject of multiple investigations, the videos have fueled further skepticism about the security of U.S. elections following widespread concerns over the 2020 presidential election.
That spilled over into the 2022 election in some areas, such as the Arizona gubernatorial race, which saw Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs prevail over pro-MAGA candidate Kari Lake following suspicious Election Day irregularities, as well as protracted vote counts afterward in Maricopa County and elsewhere.
In Pennsylvania, where Democrats controlled all the top executive offices, Democrats used extensive mail-in voting to push then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman across the finish line, despite the fact that a stroke had severely limited his cognitive and processing functions for much of the campaign.
As for Bridgeport, voter turnout has been relatively steady, albeit low, throughout the prior three elections. But Nick Roussas, owner of Frankie’s Diner, a local institution since 1946, said many of his customers were just tired of the ongoing saga.
“There’s election fatigue,” said Roussas, who said he likes both Ganim and Gomes and allows them to campaign in his restaurant.
While he can’t vote because he doesn’t live in Bridgeport, Roussas said he believes the “city is moving in the right direction,” noting the streets are in better condition, efforts are underway to address blight, and there has been new economic development.
To date, there have been no charges or arrests over the ballot mishandling allegations that resulted in this protracted mayoral race.
That lack of accountability has only worsened voter apathy, cynicism and disenfranchisement among voters, said Callie Gale Heilmann, founder, president and co-director of Bridgeport Generation Now Votes, a local social-action network that is supporting the Gomes campaign.
After recently sending texts to supporters urging them to vote for a fourth time, the group received responses such as “I’m not voting,” “I voted the other times, and it doesn’t matter” and “Gomes should accept that he lost.”
“There’s the sense that it doesn’t matter,” said Gemeem Davis, the organization’s vice president and co-director.
“The people who get up on Election Day and walk to the polls to make their voices heard, they don’t matter,” Davis continued. “And it’s because the political culture around here, around absentee ballots, has dehumanized folks. … Because it’s not even about what they want. It’s about how to get their ballot.”
Bridgeport Generation Now Votes is reminding voters that the court determined there was enough evidence to order a new primary and “redo democracy,” Heilmann said.
“And aren’t we so lucky that we can? Because in authoritarian dictatorships, you most certainly cannot,” she said. “The elections are stolen and then that’s it.”
Despite the controversy surrounding his campaign, Ganim, who accused the Gomes campaign of also committing election law violations, has managed to shore up key support for another term in the closing days.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes have all endorsed the convicted felon, as well as Lamond Daniels, a former Democratic rival for mayor.
Last week Lamont—who in 2018 defeated Ganim in a Democratic primary for governor in every community except Bridgeport—publicly announced his support for his former rival, citing their “strong working relationship.”
“He’s a good mayor for me to work with,” Lamont said during a ceremony for a new technical high school in Bridgeport.”We’re getting a lot done together. I hope he’s given another four years.”
His running mate, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, appeared at a get-out-the-vote rally for Ganim on Saturday.
The bizarre decision by the Democrats in power not only to refuse to hold Ganim accountable but to line up behind him may have contributed to much of the cynicism as voters increasingly recognize that their interests are not being represented.
In similar fashion, Democrats have paid lip service to calling for indicted Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., to step down as a matter of political expediency but have stopped short of voting him out of the Senate as Republicans recently did with Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., while putting their own political majority on the line.
There is also a growing suspicion that Democrats’ refusal to criticize or even acknowledge the issues surrounding President Joe Biden, including his cognitive decline and concerns over corruption, are part of a systematic gaslighting effort that puts the preservation of their own political advantage over the interests of the nation.
Aside from Gomes, Ganim faces Republican David Herz in Tuesday’s election. But some may have relegated the Democrat rival to the category of “right-wing extremist,” blaming him for having the audacity to expose the corrupt system and stir up trouble.
Brian Carey, 70, a resident of Bridgeport for more than 30 years and an independent, has now voted in two general elections for mayor, since only Democrats can vote in the primaries. Last week, he filled out his absentee ballot at City Hall.
“If you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” said Carey, who declined to say whom he voted for.
He said he had hope Bridgeport elections would change for the better after being in the spotlight.
“You go through phases and you have issues with certain politicians, both local and national,” Carey said. “I’m hoping that after this round, we won’t have any more silliness.”
(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Three House Republicans have introduced a bill that would restrict corporations and government agencies from tracking gun purchases made by law-abiding Americans.
The Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act—introduced last week by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., alongside Reps. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and Andy Barr, R-Ariz.—would ban the use of a Merchant Category Code, or MCC, to track sales at gun stores.
The legislation follows revelations that the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN—created to combat issues such as international money laundering—urged banks to search their databases for terms such as “MAGA” and “Trump” to find potential domestic extremists. Additionally, FinCEN told banks that they could spot potential “lone wolf” mass shooters by using MCC codes to flag purchases from stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“FinCEN distributed slides, prepared by a financial institution, explaining how other financial institutions can use MCC codes to detect customers whose transactions may reflect ‘potential active shooters, [and] who may include dangerous International Terrorists / Domestic Terrorists / Homegrown Violent Extremists (‘Lone Wolves’),” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a letter last month to former FinCEN official Noah Bishoff.
“For example, the slides instruct financial institutions to query for transactions using certain MCC codes such as ‘3484: Small Arms,’ ‘5091: Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies,’ and the keywords ‘Cabela’s,’ and ‘Dick’s Sporting Goods,’ among several others.”
Jordan noted in his letter that the above transactions would be protected by the Second Amendment, and have no apparent nexus to criminality.
Stefanik said in a press release on Friday that her bill would end such activity described by Jordan once and for all.
“The tracking of gun purchases is a violation and infringement on the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” she said.
“I share the concern of law-abiding gun owners across our nation that have voiced their fear that such tactics will work to serve the radical Left’s anti-gun agenda. I will always stand up for our Second Amendment rights as Americans and provide a critical check to any entity attempting to encroach on our liberties.”
The legislation has been well-received by Second Amendment groups.
“The Merchant Category Code for firearms retailers is nothing more than a scheme to surveil law-abiding gun owners, and the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act would protect private purchasing information from abuse by third parties,” said Randy Kozuch, Executive Director of the NRA-ILA.
“On behalf of the NRA’s millions of freedom-loving members, we applaud Rep. Stefanik for championing this legislation to protect the right to privacy for gun owners nationwide.”
However, it’s not just gun purchases being tracked by corporations and the government.
FinCEN has also warned banks that indicators of extremism include “transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel to areas with no apparent purpose,” as well as “the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views.”
Moreover, retired FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst George Hill revealed last year that Bank of America provided a trove of data about January 6 protestors to the FBI—voluntarily and without a warrant.
Hill said that the financial institution “voluntarily and without any legal process” funneled to the agency “a list of individuals who had made transactions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with a BoA credit or debit card between January 5 and January 7, 2021.”
