Treasury Department allegedly flagged terms such as ‘MAGA’ and ‘Trump,’ as well as religious texts such as the Bible
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sidestepped questions about whether her department ordered surveillance of consumer purchases and transactions.
Yellen was asked Tuesday during a hearing whether the Treasury Department instructed financial institutions to monitor legal purchases for signs of “extremism,” as claimed in a House Judiciary Committee letter last month.
“Has Treasury — including FinCEN or federal banking agencies like the Fed, FDIC, OCC — instructed financial institutions to search Americans’ legal transactions in attempts to surveil their purchases?” Republican Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner asked Yellen.
“Well, we received the letter from you, I believe, on this topic, and we intend to investigate and to respond,” Yellen responded.