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Tucker Carlson says Bank of America ‘treated customers like Al-Qaeda’ after ‘giving info to FBI to hunt Capitol rioters’
TUCKER Carlson has accused the Bank of America of acting “like Al Qaeda” in giving the FBI customer details in the hunt for Capitol Hill rioters.
The outspoken Fox News commentator claimed the bank gave investigators details of every hotel customer in Washington after the deadly .
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In a lengthy monologue, the political pundit claimed that his show, , had "exclusively obtained evidence that Bank of America is actively but secretly engaged in the hunt for extremists in cooperation with the government."
Carlson alleged this was being done "without the knowledge or the consent of its customers," with the bank allegedly "sharing private information with federal law enforcement agencies".
"Bank of America effectively is acting as an intelligence agency, but they're not telling you about it."
It's the second-largest bank in the country with more than 60million customers.
Carlson accused the bank of treating its customers "like a member of Al Qaeda" for allegedly passing over the information.
He claimed: "In the days after the January 6 riot at the Capitol, Bank of America went through its own customers' financial and transaction records.
"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 .
"But at the request of federal investigators, Bank of America searched its databases looking for people who fit a specific profile."
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That profile included customers using credit or debit cards to buy items in Washington D.C. around the time of the and any weapons or weapons-related purchases until January 7.
"Bank of America identified a total of 211 customers who met these 'thresholds of interest'," he added.
Carlson alleged the bank had "turned over the results of its internal scan to federal authorities, apparently without notifying the customers who were being spied upon.
";Federal investigators then interviewed at least one of these unsuspecting people.
"That person, we've learned, hadn't done anything wrong and was cleared."
A fuming Carlson added: "Imagine if you were that person.
"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.
"Because Bank of America did that, you are being treated like a member of ."
When told of the allegations, the bank told the show: "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."
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Banks which refuse to help law enforcement in such circumstances could be hit with criminal and civil penalties.
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But, they are legally banned from publicly spilling the beans on customers being probed by the likes of the .
Under the Bank Secrecy Act, financial institutions are directed to help American government agencies track down and stop money laundering, for example.
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