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Over a dozen Republican attorneys basic are warning a major U.S. bank towards alleged practices of “de-banking” sure prospects as a result of of their spiritual or political opinions.
In a letter obtained solely by Fox News Digital, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, together with 14 of his Republican colleagues instructed Bank of America CEO Brian T. Moynihan that the corporate “appears to be conditioning access to its services on customers having the bank’s preferred religious or political views.”
“Your discriminatory behavior is a serious threat to free speech and religious freedom, is potentially illegal, and is causing political and regulatory backlash,” the letter despatched Monday states. “Your bank needs to be transparent with and assure us, its shareholders, and others that it will not continue to de-bank customers for their speech or religious exercise,” the AGs wrote.
Media relations consultant, Bill Halldin, denied the claims in a assertion saying, “Religious beliefs are not a factor in any account-closing decision.”
CHRISTIAN NONPROFIT CLAIMS IT WAS ‘DEBANKED’ BY BANK OF AMERICA OVER ITS RELIGIOUS VIEWS
“We are proud to provide banking services to non-profit organizations affiliated with diverse faith communities throughout the United States,” a Bank of America consultant instructed Fox News Digital. (AP2013)
“We are proud to provide banking services to non-profit organizations affiliated with diverse faith communities throughout the United States,” he stated.
The AGs declare that Bank of America has beforehand denied providers to gun producers, distributors, and sellers, fossil-fuel producers, contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and personal prisons and associated providers.
NIGEL FARAGE ON HIS EFFORTS TO EXPOSE ‘DE-BANKING’
The letter cites current information experiences that the bank cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury to profile conservative and spiritual Americans as potential home terrorists.
“Bank of America’s practice of canceling the bank accounts of conservatives and even turning over information about customer’s purchases to federal law enforcement undermines free speech, religious freedom, and the right to privacy,” Kobach instructed Fox News Digital.
“It’s discriminatory and likely illegal. As state attorneys general, we will vigorously defend the constitutional rights of all Americans when they are threatened by big business.”
WATCHDOG GROUP ACCUSES BANK OF AMERICA CEO OF USING BANK AS ‘POLITICAL CLUB’ AGAINST AMERICANS
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. (Emily Curiel/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service through Getty Images)
“Those agencies outrageously used innocuous information—such as whether someone shopped at outdoor stores, supported Trump, purchased religious texts, had conservative views on COVID-19 or immigration, or associated with groups like Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Research Council, and the Ruth Institute, which champion mainstream views on free speech, religious freedom, and life—to tar ordinary Americans as potential domestic terrorists,” the letter states.
The letter additionally cites a report from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government which discovered that Bank of America “willingly participated in financial surveillance” and voluntarily shared confidential buyer info with out a warrant and with out notifying its prospects.
“We are deeply concerned that Bank of America is willing to cooperate in the infringement of its customers’ constitutional and privacy rights to help federal law enforcement surveil and target millions of conservative Americans, many of whom live in our states,” the letter states.
But Bank of America stated that it “followed all applicable laws in our interactions with the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department and law enforcement. “
“These interactions began when the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department urgently gathered major banks and law enforcement on Jan. 15, 2021 and shared information regarding potential criminal activity that could disrupt the upcoming inauguration. We have cooperated with the committee as they evaluate whether the laws we complied with should be changed,” the corporate stated.
Bank of America is second-largest bank within the nation and have almost 15% of all home deposits. (iStock)
The AGs wrote that “as attorneys general of our respective states, we take great interest in protecting a culture of free speech within our borders,” noting that Bank of America is the second-largest bank within the nation and have almost 15% of all home deposits.
“You appear to be using this power to punish conservative and religious customers by handing their data over to federal law enforcement and even canceling their accounts. This not only undermines free speech and religious freedom, but also is potentially illegal and could lead to investigations, litigation, regulation, and political backlash,” they wrote.
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The group of AGs, which embody Mississippi, Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, Utah, Texas, Montana, Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska, requested that inside 30 days of receipt, the bank gives them with a written report about their account-cancellation insurance policies and practices, significantly relating to “risk tolerance,” “reputational risk,” “hate,” “intolerance,” and related phrases, and whether or not Bank of America considers a buyer’s speech or spiritual train — or public notion or different teams’ notion of them — as a element of these insurance policies.
They additionally requested that the bank replace its phrases of service to state that it doesn’t discriminate towards prospects for their spiritual or political opinions or speech, and help shareholder proposals defending spiritual and political variety.
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