Article is under the video… Journalists and dissidents are getting accounts shut down and assets frozen, not for crimes, but for their political views.
🚨 Banks are being weaponized. Debanking is real. Journalists and dissidents are getting accounts shut down and assets frozen, not for crimes, but for their political views. Catherine Austin Fitts (@solari_the) just told @TuckerCarlson how deep this goes. pic.twitter.com/06yGBbmZBB
— Redacted (@TheRedactedInc) July 15, 2025
In an era where financial access is essential for participation in society, the phenomenon known as “debanking”—the abrupt closure of bank accounts without clear justification—has emerged as a potent tool for silencing voices. A recent episode on the Redacted news show highlighted this issue through the story of Suzie Dawson, founder of Panquake and Talk Liberation, a decentralized social media platform aimed at protecting user privacy and combating censorship. Dawson, an activist with roots in New Zealand’s Occupy movement and a supporter of WikiLeaks, detailed how her organization’s accounts were frozen by an Icelandic bank for nine months, allegedly due to her political views and affiliations. She argued that anti-money laundering (AML) laws were weaponized against her, despite no evidence of wrongdoing, ultimately delaying her project’s launch. This case, as discussed in the interview, underscores how debanking transcends traditional political divides, affecting journalists and dissidents who challenge powerful interests.
Yet, as the Redacted segment noted via a clip from Catherine Austin Fitts’ interview with Tucker Carlson, debanking often strikes suddenly, freezing assets and halting income streams. Fitts, a former investment banker turned critic of financial systems, described it as a tactic to destroy livelihoods overnight. While Dawson’s experience shows it’s not exclusive to one side—her left-leaning activism and exile in Russia paint her as a global dissident—the majority of high-profile cases involve conservatives. Republicans and right-leaning figures have increasingly rallied against what they see as ideologically driven financial exclusion, amplified during Donald Trump’s second term. Trump himself accused banks like Bank of America of debanking conservatives during a World Economic Forum appearance in January 2025, vowing to investigate.
Debanking isn’t new, but its politicization has intensified. Banks cite regulatory compliance, such as AML and know-your-customer (KYC) rules, to justify closures, but critics argue these are pretexts for discrimination. The Biden administration’s post-January 6 surveillance efforts, including circulating lists of “hate groups” to banks, fueled accusations of targeting conservatives.
States like Florida and Tennessee enacted laws in 2024 to prohibit banks from denying services based on political or religious views.
Meanwhile, tech billionaires like Marc Andreessen backed Trump, claiming “debanking” of crypto firms under Biden regulators drove them to the GOP.
The implications are profound. Without banking, individuals and organizations can’t pay bills, receive funds, or operate businesses, effectively marginalizing them. Free speech advocates warn it chills expression, as seen in cases where religious groups or pro-life organizations lose access.
A Senate Banking Committee hearing in February 2025 delved into this, with Republicans blasting regulators for pressuring banks to cut off “risky” clients, while Democrats like Elizabeth Warren highlighted complaints against major banks but framed it as consumer protection
The implications are profound. Without banking, individuals and organizations can’t pay bills, receive funds, or operate businesses, effectively marginalizing them. Free speech advocates warn it chills expression, as seen in cases where religious groups or pro-life organizations lose access.
A Senate Banking Committee hearing in February 2025 delved into this, with Republicans blasting regulators for pressuring banks to cut off “risky” clients, while Democrats like Elizabeth Warren highlighted complaints against major banks but framed it as consumer protection
Critics from the left, like those at the Southern Poverty Law Center, dismiss some claims as conspiracy theories pushed by Christian dominionists, suggesting banks follow diversity policies rather than political vendettas.
However, evidence from lawsuits and investigations shows patterns. The Alliance Defending Freedom documented banks closing accounts of Christian ministries, citing “reputational risk.”
Crypto and fintech sectors report similar issues, with firms like Custodia Bank denied master accounts by the Federal Reserve, allegedly for political reasons.
Internationally, the UK saw a scandal when Nigel Farage was debanked by Coutts, sparking resignations and reforms.
In Canada, trucker convoy protesters had accounts frozen in 2022. These examples illustrate debanking’s global reach, but U.S. cases predominantly feature conservatives, from election deniers to religious nonprofits.
To illustrate, below is a chart of some of the most famous individuals and organizations debanked, focusing on conservative-leaning figures, with reasons according to their claims. This is not exhaustive but highlights patterns.
Links
- [1] https://laweconcenter.org/resources/political-debanking/
- [2] https://www.yahoo.com/news/tech-billionaires-war-biden-debanking-130000387.html
- [3] https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/house-oversight-chair-banks-face-a-lot-questions-over-alleged-debanking-conservatives
- [5] https://fedsoc.org/events/de-banking-the-newest-threat-to-free-speech-and-religious-liberty
- [7] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/technology/crypto-debanking-trump.html
- [9] https://newlinesmag.com/argument/how-de-banking-became-a-conservative-rallying-cry/
- [10] https://www.bankingdive.com/news/bank-of-america-moynihan-trump-davos-dimon-debanking-conservatives-bpi/738266/
- [11] https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/debanking-conspiracy-theory-movement-led-christian-dominionists/
- [12] https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-money/2024/07/03/the-looming-battle-over-debanking-00166402
- [13] https://www.city-journal.org/article/debunking-de-banking
- [14] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/03/debanking-trump-conservatives-crypto-andreessen/
- [15] https://www.thefp.com/p/debanking-america-melania-barron-trump-january-6-muslims
- [17] https://nypost.com/2025/03/10/opinion/i-was-debanked-by-jpmorgan-chase-but-fought-back-and-won/
- [18] https://www.cato.org/blog/congress-investigates-debanking-reintroduces-unfair-access
- [20] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/mar/8/list-of-hate-groups-sent-to-banks-by-biden-adminis/
- [25] https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/house-oversight-chair-banks-face-a-lot-questions-over-alleged-debanking-conservatives
- [28] https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2025/02/senators-examine-role-of-regulation-in-debanking/
- [29] https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/at-senate-banking-hearing-warren-calls-on-president-trump-to-work-with-cfpb-to-protect-americans-against-debanking
- [32] https://medium.com/%40nic__carter/marc-andreessen-and-the-cfpb-debunking-the-debanking-debunkers-33e934442647
- [49] https://x.com/TheRedactedInc/status/1945083423787286661
Luke and Beth, editors at Whatfinger News, with Tom Jenkins (research), X Posts and Grok
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