{"id":2196337,"date":"2024-03-11T10:47:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T14:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-equate-typical-conservative-views-with-violent-extremism-in-financial-surveillance-house-weaponization-committee-finds\/"},"modified":"2024-03-11T10:50:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T14:50:15","slug":"feds-equate-typical-conservative-views-with-violent-extremism-in-financial-surveillance-house-weaponization-committee-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-equate-typical-conservative-views-with-violent-extremism-in-financial-surveillance-house-weaponization-committee-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"House Weaponization Committee Finds: Feds Label Conservative Views as &#8216;Violent Extremism&#8217; in Financial Surveillance"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Ffeds-equate-typical-conservative-views-with-violent-extremism-in-financial-surveillance-house-weaponization-committee-finds%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=2196337&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>A Disturbing Report Reveals\u2064 Federal\u2063 Law Enforcement&#8217;s Surveillance of Americans&#8217; Financial Activities<\/h2>\n<p>A \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/How-Federal-Law-Enforcement-Commandeered-Financial-Institutions-to-Spy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new report<\/a> from\u2062 the Select Subcommittee on\u2062 the Weaponization of the Federal Government has uncovered alarming findings. It reveals that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/evidence-mounts-that-capitol-breach-was-pre-planned-eroding-incitement-allegation-in-trump-impeachment-trial\/\" title=\"Evidence Mounts that Capitol Breach Was Pre-Planned, Eroding Incitement Allegation in Trump Impeachment Trial\">federal law enforcement agencies<\/a> have enlisted major \u200dbanks \u2063to monitor customers\u2063 who oppose gun control\u2064 and support strong\u200b border policies, equating these conservative views \u200dwith potential &#8220;violent extremism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The investigation into \u2062the surveillance of Americans&#8217; financial activities began \u2062in \u2062May 2023, following the revelation that Bank of America had voluntarily \u2062handed over customer\u200c data to the feds in connection with \u200dthe January 6, 2021 \u200cCapitol protests.<\/p>\n<p>FBI whistleblowers alleged \u2062that Bank of\u200b America \u200cprovided \u200cthe\u200d agency\u200b with records from a &#8220;huge\u200b list&#8221; of customers who were in Washington D.C. on or around that \u2064date or who \u200dmade firearm \u2063purchases during that time. These actions were taken without warrants, probable cause, or constitutional protections.<\/p>\n<p>After a year-long investigation,\u2063 the committee discovered \u2064that \u2063the FBI collaborated not only with Bank of America but also\u2063 with other financial institutions like Barclays, U.S. Bank, Charles Schwab, \u200dHSBC,\u200b and PayPal.\u2062 These\u200b institutions voluntarily shared private customer banking records\u200b &#8220;with federal law enforcement \u2063outside of normal\u200d legal process.&#8221; The agencies were particularly interested in purchases from sporting goods stores that sell \u200dfirearms. Shockingly, the investigation also found that the FBI\u2063 and other agencies\u200d flagged terms like &#8220;Trump,&#8221; &#8220;MAGA,&#8221; and &#8220;Bible&#8221; \u2062for \u200dbanks to search in the transactions of\u200c customers who were not\u200d suspected of any crime.\u200b The agency even suggested that buying\u200d &#8220;religious texts&#8221; could \u200dbe an indication of &#8220;extremism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>One \u200bof the most explosive revelations is an intelligence document titled &#8220;Domestic Violent Extremists \u200bLikely Emboldened in Aftermath \u200bof Capitol \u2063Breach,&#8221; which the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National\u200c Counterterrorism Center shared\u200d with approximately 650 private financial institutions. \u200cThis \u2062document identifies certain viewpoints, such as opposition to gun control legislation, support for border control, opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns\u200d and vaccine mandates, and \u2062belief\u2064 in a deep state, as potential indicators of being a\u2063 violent extremist. The\u2062 financial\u200d institutions \u200bwere asked to search \u200dcustomer\u200b transaction \u200brecords\u200b for \u2064evidence of these beliefs and share\u2062 the\u2062 data with the agencies. Additionally, a \u200dsecret\u200c portal was created\u2062 for a select group of major banking institutions to facilitate ongoing backchannel\u200d information sharing.<\/p>\n<h3>The\u200c Weaponization\u200c of Financial Institutions Against\u2063 Conservatives<\/h3>\n<p>The\u200d subcommittee&#8217;s report concludes\u2063 that\u2063 federal law enforcement agencies have weaponized\u200c financial institutions against conservatives. According to the report, &#8220;support for \u200dtypical conservative policies&#8230;may result in\u2062 an individual being labeled \u2064by the FBI as [domestic violence extremist] &#8216;Likely to Pose [an] Increasing Threat at Lawful Protests, Rallies,\u2062 [and] Demonstrations.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During a\u2062 hearing related to these findings, subcommittee chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) \u200cexpressed concern\u2062 over the message being\u200b sent by federal \u2064authorities, stating that \u200c&#8221;if you&#8217;ve\u2062 got the wrong political beliefs, you&#8217;re potentially a domestic violent extremist.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) \u200dhas responded to these\u200d revelations by introducing the &#8220;Protecting\u2063 Privacy in Purchases Act,&#8221; which aims to ban banks and credit card companies from using \u2062codes to track gun purchases. However, this bill does not address the broader terms that the FBI and other agencies were asking banks\u2063 to\u2062 search.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Knight, Senior Research \u2062Fellow\u2063 at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, testified during the hearing that \u2063efforts should be \u200bmade to protect Americans from unconstitutional financial data collection\u2064 at the\u200d bank level. He emphasized the importance of preventing the collection\u200d of \u2062data at the bank level, as current laws allow\u200c the government access\u2062 to that data once \u2063the\u2063 bank possesses \u200dit.<\/p>\n<p>Notably,\u200c Jordan Peterson, a Daily Wire personality, also testified at the hearing, \u2062warning that\u200b the practices employed by the FBI and other \u2063federal agencies could lead \u2062to a Chinese-style social credit\u200c system, where individuals with disfavored\u2063 views face significant \u200cobstacles in conducting financial transactions.<\/p>\n<p>These revelations highlight the concerning \u200bcollaboration between \u200dbig government and big banks to target Americans based on \u2064their legal and constitutional behavior.\u2064 It \u2062is crucial \u200bto address these issues legislatively and protect\u2063 Americans&#8217; privacy and\u200c constitutional \u2062rights.<\/p>\n<p><em>Listen \u200dto\u200d the full report on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/podcasts\/morning-wire\/state-of-the-union-national-guard-in-ny-subway-3-8-24\">Morning Wire<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u2063does the collaboration between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-is-ground-zero-for-retail-theft-prosecution-controversy\/\" title=\"California is at the center of retail theft prosecution debate.\">federal\u200d law enforcement agencies<\/a> and financial institutions in monitoring individuals \u2063based on their political beliefs \u200bpotentially violate constitutional protections?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ing \u200bflagged as a\u2064 potential violent extremist.&#8221;\u200d This raises serious concerns about\u200b the erosion of civil liberties and \u200bthe targeting of individuals based on their \u200bpolitical beliefs. It is a clear violation of \u200dthe principles of freedom of\u2062 speech and association that are enshrined in the Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The report highlights the case of a Nevada man who had his bank account closed and\u200b his \u2064funds frozen \u200dsimply because he \u200cexpressed support for border control and \u2064opposed gun\u200c control. This individual was not involved \u200cin any criminal activity and there\u2063 was no legitimate reason for his financial \u200btransactions to be scrutinized. It is deeply troubling \u200dthat expressing \u200bconservative views and engaging in lawful activities can now be grounds for suspicion and surveillance by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-university-says-suspect-who-allegedly-made-anti-semitic-threats-online-against-jewish-students-in-police-custody\/\" title=\"Cornell University reports suspect in custody for anti-Semitic threats against Jewish students online.\">federal law\u2064 enforcement agencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The collaboration between federal law enforcement agencies and financial institutions \u200bto monitor individuals based \u200con their political beliefs sets a\u2063 dangerous precedent. It undermines the fundamental principles of democracy\u200d and threatens the rights of\u200b Americans to express their opinions freely without fear of retribution.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c ramifications\u200c of this surveillance extend beyond the realm of financial activities. If\u200d individuals are \u200dtargeted and flagged as potential violent extremists \u2062based on their political beliefs, it could have a chilling effect on political discourse and discourage individuals from exercising their right to free speech.\u200c It creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, where individuals may self-censor out of concern that their financial transactions will \u2062be \u200bmonitored and used against them.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the broad use of terms like &#8220;Trump,&#8221; &#8220;MAGA,&#8221; and &#8220;Bible&#8221; as indicators of potential extremism not only unfairly \u2064targets conservatives, \u200dbut also highlights a troubling bias \u2064within federal law enforcement\u2062 agencies. Such keyword surveillance undermines\u2063 the principles of equality and fairness that \u200bshould guide \u200dour justice system.<\/p>\n<p>The report concludes with a series of recommendations \u2064to address these alarming\u200b findings.\u2063 It calls for stricter oversight and accountability of federal law enforcement \u2063agencies to \u200censure that \u2064their actions \u200badhere to constitutional \u2063protections. It also emphasizes the need for clear guidelines and limitations on the collection and \u2062use of financial data by these\u2064 agencies.<\/p>\n<p>In a democratic\u200c society, it is essential that citizens can express their opinions and engage in political activities free from unwarranted surveillance and discrimination. The revelations in this report raise serious \u200cquestions about the balance between security \u2063and civil liberties. It\u2063 is crucial that \u200csteps are\u200d taken to restore trust and protect the\u2063 rights of \u2063all Americans, \u2062irrespective of their\u2063 political\u200c beliefs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report by the Select Subcommittee on Weaponization of Federal Government reveals that federal law enforcement agencies requested major banks to surveil customers who oppose gun control and advocate for strict border policies. These agencies labeled these conservative perspectives as potential &#8220;violent extremism.&#8221; The investigation focuses on the government&#8217;s monitoring of Americans&#8217; financial activities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":2196338,"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\/03\/GettyImages-1464556351.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2196337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-1464556351.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196337","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\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2196337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2196338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2196337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2196337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2196337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}