US Treasury Accused of Spying on Americans’ Private Bank Transactions in Secret Surveillance Program As Secretary Yellen Confirms ‘Communications Took Place’

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is facing allegations that the US government, along with several financial institutions, has been involved in covert surveillance of Americans’ private bank transactions. The House Judiciary Committee recently released a memo accusing the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of urging banks to monitor customers’ transactions and flag keywords without legal authorization as part of the investigation into the January 6th Capitol Hill riot. In response to these claims, Secretary Yellen confirmed during her testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee that communications did occur between FinCEN and financial institutions, with some banks suggesting search terms that had helped identify potential perpetrators of the riot. Secretary Yellen stated that this approach was an attempt to narrow down the search for individuals who may have been involved in illegal activities based on other information available to the banks. However, Ohio Republican and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan expressed concern over the lack of warrants or pending charges against specific individuals, claiming that financial institutions were sharing Americans’ information with the FBI without proper legal authorization. According to reports, a total of 13 financial institutions, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citibank, assisted the Treasury in this surveillance program.