In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, expressed concerns over potential privacy violations and the targeting of U.S. citizens.
Scott’s letter came days after U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, claimed the subcommittee obtained documents showing that FinCEN “distributed materials to financial institutions that, among other things, outline the ‘typologies’ of various persons of interest” following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jordan alleged in a letter that government officials were searching for payments for political items tied to former president Trump, along with purchases at Bass Pro Shop and for Bibles.
Scott emphasized that such actions, if true, would constitute a severe breach of privacy and improper targeting without due process.
Scott said, “These allegations are particularly concerning given past efforts to weaponize the financial system and payment activity against politically disfavored, lawful activity.”
He also sought clarification on FinCEN‘s rationale for associating the purchase of religious texts with extremism.