'Bye bye, Bank of America': Outraged customers boycott firm as it's revealed the bank snooped through HUNDREDS of innocent people's accounts looking for Capitol rioters for the feds - so who else is doing it?
Outraged Bank of America customers are boycotting the bank after learning it snooped through hundreds of innocent people's accounts at the request of the government as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot, using a broad criteria that meant anyone who made a transaction in DC that day came under a federal microscope.
Tucker Carlson revealed the bank's involvement in the investigation on his FOX News show on Thursday night. After being contacted by the government, Bank of America handed over the information of 211 people.
The feds asked for information including:
- Customers confirmed as transacting, either through bank account debit card or credit card purchases, in Washington, D.C., between January 5 and January 6
- Purchases made for hotel and Airbnb RSVPs in DC, VA, and MD after January 6
- Any purchase of weapons or at a weapons-related merchant between January 7 and their upcoming suspected stay in D.C. area around Inauguration Day
- Airline-related purchases since January 6
From the 211 people the bank turned over, one was interviewed by law enforcement and no one was arrested.
The bank has not confirmed how many accounts it went through to produce the 211 it turned over, nor has it confirmed whether it was compelled by a subpoena or search warrant to hand over the information.
Now, many are calling for a total boycott of the bank, calling its cooperation with the feds an 'overreach' that breaches consumer trust, and are demanding to know how other companies are cooperating.
DailyMail.com has asked Chase, Capital One, American Express, Citi, Mastercard, Airbnb, Uber and Lyft whether they, too, have handed over the information of people who were near the Capitol on January 6 to the feds. None have responded.
After being contacted by the government, Bank of America handed over the information of 211 people (file image). Anyone who made a credit card or debit card transaction on January 5th or 6th in DC fit the profile
There were some 15,000 people at the Capitol on January 6. Now, the feds are hunting for the people who breached the building with weapons. They are calling them domestic terrorists and plan to weigh the heaviest of charges against them
BoA is refusing to give details on exactly how many accounts it looked through, whether the government produced a subpoena or warrant for them, or even if it still going through them.
On Friday morning, the bank told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'We don’t comment on our communications with law enforcement.
'All banks have responsibilities under federal law to cooperate with law enforcement inquiries in full compliance with the law.'
It's unclear who asked the bank to hand over the records, if it was the FBI or the Justice Department.
It's also unclear whether any banks were asked to hand over the records of rioters in the summer who descended on federal buildings in Portland, Oregon, or on the City Hall in New York City.
There is no broad, FBI or Justice Department investigation into those incidents.
Dozens of protests took place for months over the course of the summer and while collectively, thousands were involved, it's more difficult to pinpoint a single, large-scale event where there was as much violence as there was at the Capitol on January 6.
Now, many are boycotting the bank and calling its cooperation with the federal investigation an 'overreach'.
Now, many are calling for a total boycott of the bank, calling their cooperation with the feds an 'overreach' which breaches consumer trust
'If you’re a Bank of America customer and you were in Washington DC on January 5 and bought a muffin, they along with the FBI, rummaged through your bank account to see if you were a domestic terrorist.
'Does it seem like overreach to you? Legal?' one person asked.
Another fumed: 'Customers at Bank of America who visited Capitol to voice their concerns should file suit FED Case against Law Enforcement and bank Overreach LAW! Civil Rights Violation!'
Others are urging the one person who was interviewed by the FBI as a result of Bank of America giving the feds their information to sue the bank.
Tucker Carlson, on Thursday night, said: 'These were the private records of Americans who had committed no crime; people who, as far as we know, had absolutely nothing to do with what happened at the Capitol.
'But at the request of federal investigators, Bank of America searched its databases looking for people who fit a specific profile,' he said.
Of the one person who was hauled in for questioning, he said: 'The FBI hauls you in for questioning in a terror investigation, not because you've done anything suspicious, but because you bought plane tickets and visited your country's capital.
'Now they're sweating you because your bank, which you trust with your most private information, has ratted you out without your knowledge.
'Because Bank of America did that, you are being treated like a member of Al Qaeda.'
The government is yet to find even half of the 800 people who stormed the Capitol building on January 6.
Despite the rioters plotting much of the stunt on social media, and even though the FBI warned field offices about it, nothing was done to prevent it.
Five people died on the day and two Capitol cops - who were woefully outnumbered - killed themselves afterwards.
The FBI and the Justice Department have been on the back foot since before the riots, despite many participants having planned it online, in plain sight. Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin (shown on January 12) said hundreds would be charged, but it's unclear if half have even been caught yet
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