Have you bought a Bible recently?

[Couchpotato]

Actually it's a Fox News story.

Which was taken from a House Judiciary Committee investigation.

 

[AntonToo]

US Treasury Admits Bible Purchasers Are Under Criminal Investigation​

How fucked in the head do you have to click that blatant fake-news garbage?

For the damaged ones: no one becomes under criminal investigation for simply buying a Bible.

 

[evenflow1969]

US Treasury Admits Bible Purchasers Are Under Criminal Investigation

Federal Surveillance Program Targets Bible Buyers and First Amendment Transactions

martinmawyer.substack.com

In a stunning admission, the Biden administration has acknowledged that the names of individuals who purchase religious texts, including the Bible, are being collected and stored in a criminal database by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

This revelation came in a letter from the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FICen) to Christian Action Network (CAN), in response to a February 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The document confirms that the names are being gathered for "law enforcement purposes," but offers little clarity beyond that, stating further disclosure "could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."

This bombshell revelation exposes a chilling escalation of government overreach, where ordinary Bible buyers are not just being tracked as if they were criminal suspects but are also subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation.

This is something you won't hear about in the media as they try to squeeze Kamala into power.

They US may as well be China at this point.

Lol, you idiots sure run your mouths a lot. Always all blow and no show. Hilarious

 

[FireFly]

This story comes from a House Judiciary Committee investigation which I’ve linked. Care to link any evidence your bullshit?

 

[Mac1958]

Lol, you idiots sure run your mouths a lot. Always all blow and no show. Hilarious

Of special importance to them is any opportunity to play the persecuted victim.

Hell, look at their beloved leader.

 

[braalian]

so fucking fake, even the link doesn't show a letter from the Dept. of Treasury.

I’m martinmawyer.substack.com is a highly respected journalistic site that’s won multiple Pulitzers

 

[braalian]

How would this even work?

How is this thread not in the conspiracy theory forum?

 

[surada]

The Democrats are communists.

Martin Mawyer, president of the Lynchburg, VA-based Christian Action Network, denounced the Bible surveillance program as a clear violation of the 1974 Privacy Act, which prohibits federal agencies from collecting or storing personal information about individuals exercising their First Amendment rights.

The 1974 Privacy Act states the federal government may “maintain no record describing how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity.” (5 U.S.C. § 552a(e)(7)

“There’s nothing ambiguous about this language. Under no circumstances can the feds collect the names of people exercising their right to purchase a Bible—unless, of course, it’s part of a law enforcement activity,” Mawyer said.

“And here’s what made our jaws drop—and surely the jaws of every right-thinking, religious American: how can buying a Bible possibly place you under federal criminal investigation?”

Despite the clear protections of the 1974 Privacy Act, CAN faced an agonizing wait for answers. First, it took two months for the Treasury Department to finally respond, but claimed it couldn’t provide any answers due to “unusual circumstances.”

More months passed by when finally, in August, CAN received a letter from FICen. That letter refused to give any further information about the program, citing concerns that it "could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."

Mawyer was clear in his outrage: “Obviously, it’s not a crime to buy a Bible. But it is a crime, punishable by fines and imprisonment, for federal employees to violate the 1974 Privacy Act.”

CAN sought a meeting with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Treasury to gain clarification on the program but has yet to receive a response. “This is a massive cover-up—an illegal cover-up. People should be going to jail for this,” said Mawyer.

Beyond the blatant violation of privacy, Mawyer noted that the federal government is also prohibited from passing or sharing this information with third parties. Yet, according to Rep. Jim Jordan, the government has set up a “secret portal” that allows over 650 companies—including major banks like Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo—to access these names and work with federal law enforcement to flag so-called “extremism” indicators.

“This is illegal, plain and simple. Another glaring example of the weaponization of our federal government,” Mawyer said. “But here’s the ultimate crime: there’s nothing the average American can do about it. Absolutely nothing. And it’s incredibly frustrating.”

When CAN sought legal counsel to file a lawsuit against the Department of Treasury and FICen, they were informed they lacked “standing” to sue. Individuals or organizations must first demonstrate they’ve been personally harmed by the violation, meaning demonstrate a loss of money over being placed under criminal investigation.

“So first you have to show you been crushed by the federal government’s illegal activity before you can sue them for violating the law. This is nothing short of legal blackmail,” Mawyer said.

“Suing the United States Government isn’t cheap, and these federal employees know it,” he added. “They have no fear of violating a citizen’s legal and constitutional rights, knowing few people would be willing to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect those God-given, inalienable rights.”

Undeterred, CAN has already begun drafting a proposed amendment for the next session of Congress that would grant organizations like theirs legal standing to sue federal agencies that violate the 1974 Privacy Act.

"Washington targeting a grandmother for simply buying a Sunday Bible—and then illegally placing her under criminal investigation—should be an easy win for justice,” Mawyer said. “The fact that it’s not shows just how deeply this government has been weaponized and how far we’ve fallen into a state of corruption and overreach."

 

[Mac1958]

How would this even work?

How is this thread not in the conspiracy theory forum?

Details aren't necessary. The point is to just believe the story without questioning it and use it to play the innocent victim.

Regular stuff.

 

[Unkotare]

I've already got about half a dozen, so I'm pretty much set for now.

 

[fncceo]

Have you bought a Bible recently?​

My old one is still just fine …

 

[Couchpotato]

This is not a link to the DoT investigating counterfeiters.

 

[Care4all]

'Alarming' surveillance: Feds asked banks to search private transactions for terms like ‘MAGA,’ ‘Trump’

EXCLUSIVE: Federal investigators asked banks to search and filter customer transactions by using terms like "MAGA" and "Trump" as part of an investigation into

judiciary.house.gov

"According to this analysis, FinCEN warned financial institutions of ‘extremism’ indicators that include ‘transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel areas with no apparent purpose,’ or ‘the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views,’" Jordan detailed in a letter to the former director of FinCEN, Noah Bishoff, a career employee.

"In other words, FinCEN used large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression," Jordan wrote.

The Federal Government is/was using FinCEN and the private sector to search/monitor purchases of private citizens without warrants. That's the issue regardless of what they were searching for. It's a pattern recently and with this admin specifically going around due process by utilizing private sector companies to do their dirty work. No one should be happy about this.

This article is from January. Any follow-up???