{"id":2170230,"date":"2024-02-07T13:25:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/janet-yellen-dodges-questions-on-whether-biden-treasury-dept-urged-banks-to-search-private-transactions\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T13:28:52","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:28:52","slug":"janet-yellen-dodges-questions-on-whether-biden-treasury-dept-urged-banks-to-search-private-transactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/janet-yellen-dodges-questions-on-whether-biden-treasury-dept-urged-banks-to-search-private-transactions\/","title":{"rendered":"Janet Yellen evades queries about potential encouragement from Biden Treasury Department for banks to scrutinize personal transactions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjanet-yellen-dodges-questions-on-whether-biden-treasury-dept-urged-banks-to-search-private-transactions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2170230&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Treasury Secretary Dodges Question on Surveillance of Legal Purchases<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>During a recent \u200dinterview, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen avoided\u2063 answering whether the Treasury\u2064 Department urged financial institutions \u2064to scrutinize \u2064legal purchases for\u200c signs of\u200c extremism, as reported by Fox News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>House \u200cJudiciary\u2062 Committee Raises Concerns<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>In January, the House Judiciary Committee expressed concerns that federal investigators, as part of their \u200binvestigation into the events of January 6, 2021, encouraged banks to monitor and filter legal \u200cpurchases using\u2063 terms like\u200c &#8220;MAGA,&#8221; &#8220;Trump,&#8221; &#8220;Dick&#8217;s Sporting Goods,&#8221; &#8220;Cabela&#8217;s,&#8221; and \u200b&#8221;Bass Pro Shops.&#8221; They \u200dalso warned that the sale of &#8220;religious texts&#8221; could \u200bindicate &#8220;extremism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Chair of the \u2063House Judiciary \u200bCommittee, Jim Jordan, highlighted in \u200ca letter that the Treasury Department&#8217;s Office of Stakeholder\u2064 Integration and Engagement in the Strategic Operations of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) \u2063provided banks with outlines of &#8220;various \u2064persons of interest,&#8221; \u2063along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-flagged-terms-like-trump-maga-for-banks-to-comb-through-customer-data-jordan-says\/\" title=\"Feds marked terms like 'Trump,' 'MAGA' for banks to review customer data, Jordan claims\">suggested search terms<\/a> and Merchant Category Codes to identify\u2063 transactions on behalf of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oneill-future-americans-will-say-this-is-the-moment-their-ancestors-chose-to-fight\/\" title=\"O'Neill: Future Americans will remember this as the moment their ancestors chose to fight.\">federal law\u2062 enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;According to this analysis,&#8221; Jordan wrote, &#8220;FinCEN alerted financial institutions about &#8216;extremism&#8217; \u2064indicators, which include &#8216;transportation charges, such as \u200dbus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel areas with no apparent purpose,&#8217; or &#8216;the purchase of \u2064books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to \u2063other media containing extremist views.&#8217; In \u200cother words, FinCEN \u2064utilized major financial institutions to scrutinize\u2062 their customers&#8217; private \u2063transactions based \u200con protected political and religious expression.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Concerns Raised by Rep. Ann Wagner<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) voiced her concerns,\u2064 stating that the federal government \u2064is increasingly suggesting banks search private financial transactions using highly partisan political terms or checking for purchases associated with legal sales of \u2063firearms or\u200c religious texts.<\/p>\n<p>Wagner directly asked Yellen, &#8220;Has \u200bTreasury, including FinCEN or\u200c federal banking agencies like\u2062 the Fed, FDIC, OCC, instructed financial institutions to search Americans&#8217; legal\u2063 transactions in attempts to\u2062 surveil their purchases?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Yellen responded by\u2062 acknowledging \u2063the letter from Wagner and stating\u200d that they intend\u200b to investigate \u2062and respond. However, when pressed further by Wagner about instructing banks and financial institutions to \u200cprovide this \u200cinformation, Yellen evaded the question.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Wagner persisted, \u2063asking if financial institutions \u2064were being instructed to search Americans&#8217; legal transactions for surveillance purposes. Yellen\u2064 simply promised\u2062 a \u200dthorough investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What specific actions did federal\u2062 investigators and the Treasury\u2062 Department&#8217;s Office of Stake take to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/treasury-releases-new-guidelines-for-financial-institutions-with-net-zero-carbon-emissions-goals\/\" title=\"Treasury issues guidelines for banks with net-zero carbon goals.\">encourage financial institutions<\/a> to scrutinize legal purchases for signs of extremism?<\/h2>\n<p><span> <Suggested Title>: Treasury Secretary Evades Question\u200c on Surveillance\u2064 of Legal Purchases: Concerns Raised by House Judiciary Committee<\/p>\n<p>During \u200ba recent interview, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen chose\u200c not to \u2063directly address whether the Treasury Department had urged financial institutions to closely examine \u200clawful purchases for potential signs \u200cof\u2064 extremism, as reported by Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>The issue came\u200c to light in January when the House Judiciary Committee expressed concerns regarding the actions of federal investigators during their probe into the events of January 6, 2021. \u2064It was alleged that these investigators had encouraged banks to scrutinize and filter legal purchases \u2064using specific terms\u200c such as &#8220;MAGA,&#8221; &#8220;Trump,&#8221; &#8220;Dick&#8217;s Sporting Goods,&#8221; \u2063&#8221;Cabela&#8217;s,&#8221; and &#8220;Bass Pro \u200dShops.&#8221; Furthermore, they cautioned that the mere sale of &#8220;religious texts&#8221; \u200ccould potentially indicate &#8220;extremism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In a letter drafted by the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, it was emphasized that the Treasury Department&#8217;s Office \u2062of Stake (whose role is to\u2064 advocate for victims of terrorism and facilitate communication between \u200bthe public and \u200dthe department) was involved \u2064in the dissemination \u200cof this guidance to financial institutions. The concerns raised by the committee centered on potential infringements on privacy\u200d rights and\u2063 the potential for financial \u2063institutions to discriminate against customers based on the lawful purchases they made. <\/p>\n<p>During\u200b the\u2064 interview, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was pressed on the matter but chose\u2063 not to address it\u200b directly. This avoidance of the question has further fueled speculation and concern regarding the extent \u200dto which the government may be involved in the surveillance and monitoring of legal purchases by financial institutions.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue that this potential monitoring of lawful purchases infringes upon individuals&#8217; privacy rights and sets a dangerous precedent for government overreach. The concern\u200c is that financial institutions may be\u2063 pressured to discriminate against\u2062 customers solely on the basis of their\u200b purchasing \u200bhabits or political affiliations, undermining the principles of free commerce and personal autonomy.<\/p>\n<p>While it is essential for government agencies to remain vigilant in protecting national security and identifying potential threats, it is\u200b equally important\u2062 to balance these objectives with respect for individual rights\u2064 and privacy. Any government action that encroaches upon these fundamental \u200bprinciples must be subject \u200cto transparent scrutiny \u200band accountability.<\/p>\n<p>The House Judiciary Committee&#8217;s concerns reflect the\u200c broader\u200b concerns within society \u2063about the potential erosion of civil liberties under the guise of combating extremism. It is imperative for relevant\u2063 government \u2064agencies, including the Treasury Department, to provide transparent and comprehensive \u200cexplanations regarding their role in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/europe-retreats-from-net-zero-mandates-as-biden-administration-charges-forward\/\" title=\"Europe abandons net-zero mandates as Biden charges ahead.\">encouraging financial institutions<\/a> to scrutinize legal purchases for\u2064 signs \u2062of extremism.<\/p>\n<p>As the discourse surrounding this issue continues, it is \u200bcrucial for policymakers, lawmakers, and citizens alike to engage \u2063in informed, open dialogues that prioritize both national security \u2062and the protection of\u2062 individual rights. Striking the right \u200cbalance\u2064 is \u2063essential to maintain a society\u2064 that is \u200cboth secure \u200cand respectful \u2064of the fundamental principles upon which it is \u2063built.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Purchases for potential signs of extremism. However, when questioned, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen avoided directly addressing whether the Treasury Department had made such recommendations to financial institutions. Fox News reported on Yellen&#8217;s evasion of the question. The House Judiciary Committee had previously stated that federal investigators had advised banks to scrutinize and screen legal transactions for indications of extremism as part of their probe into the events of January 6, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":2170231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1983622746.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2170230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1983622746.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2170230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2170231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2170230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2170230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2170230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}