Federal officials asked banks, credit card companies, and financial firms to search their customers’ private accounts following the breach of the US Capitol on Jan, 6, 2021.
The officials at the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department asked financial institutions to use the search terms “religious texts,” “MAGA,” and “Trump” to investigate the events of J6.
The searches have alarmed religious liberty advocates, who argue that they are conducted without judicially authorized search warrants. The Family Research Council, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, has condemned the searches, with President Tony Perkins calling them a grave threat to freedom.
Religious organizations such as the Liberty Counsel and the First Liberty Institute have spoken out against the searches, arguing that they pose a serious threat to religious freedom. Chairman Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel has called the searches a despotic way of suppressing people whose beliefs may not align with those in power. Kelly Shackelford, CEO and chief counsel for the First Liberty Institute, said that the federal government urging banks to monitor Americans for exercising their religious freedom is outrageous and chilling.
Jeremy Tedesco, senior vice president of corporate engagement for Alliance Defending Freedom, said that the revelation that the government is working with financial institutions to flag everyday American citizens as “threats” is terrifying. The searches could flag an American citizen’s account depending on exercise of their constitutionally protected rights such as the purchase of religious texts.
The House Judiciary Committee confirmed that the searches were sought by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Stakeholder Integration and Engagement in conjunction with the FBI. The news has been a concerning topic for House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who said that the searches could be misused to target ordinary individuals.
