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The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump extremists triggered a massive FBI response and nationwide increased security. In the months after that attack, investigators searched the communications and bank transactions of suspects for the use of code words like “MAGA” and “Trump” as they tried to piece together who had purchased weapons before the attack. Banks voluntarily cooperated with the FBI in these investigations.
Now, however, pro-Trump Republicans in Congress, led by Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee, are issuing subpoenas against banks that cooperated with the FBI, asking questions about how banks handled customer information around the time of the attack.
Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich accuses the FBI of being “woke” and argues that this trend is consistent with similar failures across other American institutions and universities.
One of the most amazing stories that I’ve seen in a long time about big government overreach is something which the Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jim Jordan, revealed — that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with the Bank of America, without any legal process, without any legal requirement, convinced the Bank of America to turn over an amazing volume of documents, including everybody who’d used a credit card in the Washington, D.C. area in the three or four days around January 6th, 2021. And they were looking for certain key indicators.
I want you to think about this. Your Federal Bureau of Investigation wanted to know whether or not you went to a Pro Bass fishing store. They wanted to know whether you went to Dick’s athletic store. They wanted to know whether or not you bought a religious book. They wanted to know whether or not you used key code words like “MAGA” or “Trump.” This is your government trying to find information without any reference to you having committed a crime. It’s just absolutely in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, and they were just out trolling.
In fact, when the head of the FBI anti-terrorism group finally figured out what they’re doing, he said, ‘Get rid of all that stuff. We have no right as an agency to go out randomly looking for people to see later on whether or not they commit a crime. You’re only allowed to gather data if you already think they’re guilty of committing a crime. And they have to be tried, or you have to build a case.‘
