The Biden Administration has admitted to monitoring Americans’ private financial transactions for words like “MAGA,” “Trump” and “Kamala” following the Jan. 6 riots.
Federal investigators from Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) ordered banks to review records for “extremists.”
A letter from the Treasury Department, seen by Fox Newswas sent to Sen. Tim Scott on Friday and says the “sharing events” began “shortly after January 6 under the previous administration.”
He said it “included terms like “antifa,” “MAGA,” “Trump,” “Biden,” “Kamala,” “Schumer” and “Pelosi.”
The federal government was specifically “watching” Trump supporters and Americans who frequent outdoor stores such as Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops, as well as those who purchased religious texts, such as a Bible.
The Biden Administration has admitted to monitoring Americans’ private financial transactions for words like “MAGA,” “Trump” and “Kamala” following the Jan. 6 riots.
Federal investigators from Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) ordered banks to review records for “extremists.”
The federal government was specifically “watching” Trump supporters and Americans who frequent outdoor stores such as Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops, as well as those who purchased religious texts, such as a Bible.
The Treasury Department letter marks the first time that the Biden Administration has confirmed the use of the keywords that investigators were searching for during the January 6 riots.
It was signed by Acting Deputy Secretary Corey Tellez and was in response to a letter sent by Scott, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, demanding answers.
Scott stated that the surveillance “represents a flagrant violation of Americans’ privacy and an undue attack on American citizens for exercising their constitutional rights without due process.”
The Republican politician had previously voted in favor of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, which allowed the FinCEN Exchange program to share data between law enforcement and financial institutions in an attempt to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. .
FinCEN provided materials to banks suggesting they search and filter private financial records using keywords and search terms.
This was to help law enforcement find persons of interest before Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021 and after the January 6 riot.
The searches were found during an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Federal Government Armaments.
They uncovered documents showing that FinCEN warned financial institutions that an “indicator of extremism” could be “the purchase of books (including religious texts),” such as the Bible, and subscriptions to certain media “containing extremist views.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers she would investigate why the department sent instructions to banks on how to search Americans’ transaction records.
A Treasury Department letter, seen by Fox News, was sent to Sen. Tim Scott on Friday stating that the “sharing events” began “shortly after January 6 under the previous administration.”
According to the report released by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in January, the department also suggested searching for the terms ‘MAGA’ and ‘Trump’ in Zelle payments.
‘Did you shop at Bass Pro Shop yesterday or did you buy a Bible? If so, the federal government may be watching him,” Jordan posted on X at the time.
“We now know that the federal government flagged terms like ‘MAGA’ and ‘TRUMP’ to financial institutions if Americans completed transactions using those terms,” he wrote in another post.
‘What was also pointed out? If you purchased a religious text, such as a BIBLE, or purchased from the Bass Pro Shop.’
Additionally, officials warned banks about indicators of “extremism,” such as purchasing a bus or plane ticket “to travel to areas with no apparent purpose” or purchasing a religious text, such as a Bible, according to documents.
Subscriptions to media outlets containing “extremist” views would also be an indicator to take into account for financial instructions, according to material the Treasury provided to banks.
The report sparked a wave of backlash against the Biden administration from Republicans demanding answers about the government’s spy tactics.
Additionally, during a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday, Republican Sen. Scott chastised the Treasury secretary over the department’s oversight instructions.
“FinCEN was created to stop money laundering and not to spy on Americans,” he said. “It was not created for political motivations.”