Wray acknowledges Bank of America, other firms regularly share innocent Americans’ records with FBI.

FBI Director Admits Obtaining Innocent Americans’ Personal Data

FBI Director Christopher Wray made a startling admission during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing. He revealed that the agency regularly acquires personal data from companies, even innocent Americans, with the potential to charge them with crimes.

This confession confirms the testimony of an FBI whistleblower who earlier this year revealed that Bank of America provided the agency with a “huge list” of financial records for individuals who used their credit or debit cards near Washington D.C. during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. It also validates the suspicions of a majority of Americans who believe that the FBI is being weaponized against the very people it is supposed to protect.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie questioned Wray about Bank of America’s actions, to which Wray responded that financial institutions often share information about possible criminal activity, which he believes is lawful.

The whistleblower, George Hill, stated that Bank of America specifically highlighted customers who had purchased firearms with their cards. However, Wray insisted that the personal firearm transaction records were only shared for informational purposes and were later recalled to avoid any appearance of overreach.

Hill also revealed that the FBI’s D.C. field office distributed the data to its nationwide offices and encouraged agents to use the transaction records to initiate criminal investigations. Agents who refused were threatened with escalation to their superiors.

Massie expressed skepticism about Wray’s claims and questioned whether a warrant was involved. Wray could not provide specific details and suggested Massie consult the FBI’s lawyers.

Massie then presented an email indicating that the FBI had provided search queries to Bank of America, leading the bank to hand over the data without a search warrant. When asked about limitations on obtaining gun purchase data without a warrant, Wray declined to answer and reiterated the legality of the process.

Massie concluded by stating that while it may be lawful, it is not constitutional.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.