Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach
More than a dozen Republican attorneys general have raised concerns alleging that Bank of America (BoA) is “de-banking” some customers because of their religious or political views.
Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach to BoA’s CEO Brian T. Moynihan suggesting that the company “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 sent 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 representative, Bill Halldin, denied the claims in a statement saying, “Religious beliefs are not a factor in any account-closing decision.”
“We are proud to provide banking services to non-profit organizations affiliated with diverse faith communities throughout the United States,” he said.
The AGs claim that Bank of America has previously denied services to gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers, fossil-fuel producers, contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and private prisons and related services.
Additionally, the letter references reports that the bank cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury to profile conservative and religious Americans as potential “domestic terrorists.”
The Gateway Pundit reported that in November 2023, Chairman Jim Jordan of the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government issued a subpoena to BoA over their data-sharing practices.
Documents from 2021 reveal that BoA voluntarily provided the FBI with details of individuals who transacted in the Washington, D.C., area from January 5-7, 2021. This action was taken without any legal mandate, prompting the committee’s inquiry into whether the bank collaborated with the FBI to collect data on American citizens outside of legal boundaries.
The letter to Moynihan reads in part, “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.”
“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 continues.
In addition to Kansas, attorneys general from Mississippi, Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, Utah, Texas, Montana, Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, and Nebraska asked for a written report from the financial institution about their account-cancellation policies and practices.
Read the full letter below:
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