Originally published August 18, 2023 9:25 am PDT
In a significant move related to civil liberties and potential overreach by federal agencies, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has formally issued a subpoena to Citibank.
The demand is for “documents and communications related to the Judiciary Committee’s and Weaponization Select Subcommittee’s investigation into major banks sharing Americans’ private financial data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) without legal process for transactions made in the Washington, D.C., area around Jan. 6, 2021.”
Earlier, on June 12, 2023, the Committee had approached “financial institutions, including Citibank, requesting voluntary cooperation” to ascertain the degree to which these banks might have overstepped by providing the FBI with private data of American citizens without a legal basis.
A significant revelation has been that “Bank of America (BoA) provided the FBI—voluntarily and without any legal process—with a list of individuals who made transactions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with a BoA credit or debit card between January 5 and January 7, 2021.”
This recent probe has brought to light some unsettling documentation.
The Committee and Select Subcommittee have “recently obtained documents that raise new concerns” over how these large financial institutions might be sharing customer data with federal agencies, even when there’s “lack of an individualized nexus to criminal conduct.”
Disturbingly, these papers indicate Citibank’s involvement; a “Citibank representative was included on emails and Zoom discussions organized by the FBI and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).”
The purpose of these communications was focused on “identifying the best approach to information sharing, both strategic and operational,” especially post the events of January 6.
From these, it can be inferred that “the executive branch was brainstorming informal methods—outside of legal process—for obtaining private customer information from financial institutions.”
The overarching role of the Committee and Select Subcommittee, as stated, is to oversee “matters involving civil liberties and criminal law to inform potential legislative reforms.”
In the wake of these developments, Citibank has not shown cooperation, as they have “failed to comply with the Committee’s request voluntarily.”
With this subpoena, it is clear that Chairman Jordan and the Committee are keen to ensure that the rights of American citizens remain protected, and potential violations by major institutions do not go unchecked.
Citi is an official partner of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF’s partners “are the driving force behind the Forum’s programmes,” such as the “Great Reset,” according to the group’s website. The WEF predicts that by 2030 the United States “won’t be the world’s leading superpower.” The WEF stands against nationalism, which many Trump supporters endorse, instead promoting globalism, a form of worldwide government control.
Read the subpoena here:
