Chokepoint Documents Show Obama Administration’s Extortion of Lawful Businesses

President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder embraced disarmament using every means at their disposal, including illegal ones. (White House photo)

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “Unsealed government documents prove federal cover-up in Operation Chokepoint,” a featured news release from the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) reveals. “This illegal campaign included threats from senior government officials that agency staff would be fired and bank officials could be subject to criminal prosecution.”

The documents from the Advance America et al. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. et al. lawsuit “show that top leadership at the [Federal Deposit Insurance Commission] held strong personal biases and began a ruthless targeted campaign against the small-dollar lending industry [and that] These industries include local small businesses like fireworks and firearms companies…”

It’s instructive at this point to review some of the documents, particularly this appendix, and do a “find” search for the term “firearm.” We see firearm and ammunition sales listed right alongside Ponzi schemes, pornography, pyramid-type sales and racist materials. We see threats thinly masked as “explaining the nature of discouraged activities and the consequences banks could face for not adhering to the guidance.” We see firearms and ammunition merchants categorized as “prohibited businesses” and characterized as “undesirable” and “high risk,” and that they “pose ‘elevated reputational, and compliance risks’ to depository institutions.”

And significantly, we see “how a number of firearms merchants – a category identified as ‘high risk’ by the government – abruptly had their bank accounts frozen or terminated.”

Some of us were reporting on this at the time it was happening, and of the Barack Obama administration’s financial control axis between Eric Holder’s Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the FDIC.

I noted in 2014 how a bank “stiffing” porn stars was more than happy to service ATF, documenting JP Morgan’s Chase Bank being the holder of ATF’s credit card account, all the while allowing one of the Fast and Furious decision-makers to “double dip.”  And since the government and its banking partners are the ones that brought up porn, it’s fair to ask why they didn’t cut off services to that ATF inspector arrested for a padded hole in his hotel room door

Your tax dollars at work…

But gun dealers are the ones posing “elevated reputational risks.”

I thought we were done with Chokepoint after the DOJ’s promise last year that the “misguided initiative” had been terminated and their pledge that “the Department will not discourage the provision of financial services to lawful industries, including businesses engaged in short-term lending and firearms-related activities.”

That’s great, but these were illegal acts. Not that Fast and Furious gave us hope that Republicans will ever actually hold Democrats accountable.

It looks like we’re just getting started, as more and more institutions find reasons of their own to bank on disarmament. Add to that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and states joining him are making no secret of the intent behind their lawfare attacks to bankrupt the NRA, and social media companies disallowing, demonetizing and “shadow banning” gun-related business and advocacy accounts.

This is ideological cleansing and economic cleansing. And steps to do what can be done do not give hope that anything will be done.

Case in point is Louisiana Rep. John Kennedy’s “No Red and Blue Banks Act,” which asks “Should the government award contracts to banks which refuse to lend to certain firearms dealers?” has attracted no cosponsors to date and has a projected “3% chance of being enacted.”

Lose the midterms, fellow gun owners, and we ain‘t seen nothin’ yet.


About David Codrea:David Codrea

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.

In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and a contributor to Firearms News, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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eaglesnester

my one burning questing here is, ” What is the current administration going to do about this?” If any constitutional laws were broken will there be any prosecutions?

Alan

Prosecution of Obama or any of his apparachnicks, or even an actual investigation into whether these antics might have involved a violation of the law? You can’t be serious.

BillyBob Texas

Does it occur to anyone: THERE MIGHT BE A ‘HIDDEN AGENDA’ INVOLVED HERE:? ” I won’t prosecute the previous Administration if y’all (the next Administration) promises NOT to prosecute ME”

I seriously think THAT must be some unspoken word……..BUT…. you know dang well Trump will be prosecuted when he leaves……The Democrats can NEVER, NEVER be trusted.

Cal Tex Gun Barn

You are correct our account was closed by Bank of America when we asked for credit card processing. We had to lie to Wells Fargo about our gun shop and say we were a sporting good store. We could only get two companies to process credit cards because we have a website to sell guns. It is a struggle to own a shop that sells firearms. Could not get small business loan because we sold firearms. Was told they were not allowed to support gun sales in this country. Will be glad when Trump finishes with the swamp. So we… Read more »

Jaque

The communist left must know clearly and distinctly that any national acts to nullify the second amendment and to register and confiscate lawfully owned firearms there will be resistance on a scale never before seen in the US. Gun owners will resist any and all efforts to deny them their natural rights. There will be no compliance to unconstitutional orders. There will be resistance. The Declaration of Independence outlined the ways for citizens to resist and the second amendment gave them the tools.

Alan

Supposedly he did, note I say SUPPOSEDLY, but possibly the message failed to get through to those states the operational level.

Alan

Holder was held in contempt, how come he wasn’t tossed into the pokey, and then there’s his buddy Obama, another example of abusive bureaucracy run wild.

Doug

Obo used Executive Privilege to keep Holder out of jail. FYI

tomcat

Mr. Codrea summed it up in his last sentence “lose the midterms, fellow gun owners, and you ain’t seen nothin yet.” The only chance we have to stop these crazies is to beat them at the ballot box. Tennessee has early voting so I have already voted. At this point, the logistics are not set up to declare war and we sure don’t want to be the attacker because that would force the military to go against us.

james

Gowdy said ‘oh God no’ when asked about the AG position.

Colonialgirl

AND the BANKS are BACK AT IT TODAY !! Look at Citi Bank, 5th/3rd, BofA and several others who are refusing to loan money to firearm stores and manufacturers !! Nothing but liberal control through the FDIC and the Federal Reserve.

Alan

Quite likely, the antics of these banks and financial institutions bring to mind the crying need for the return to/of tough bank regulation, if not the possibility of criminal prosecution of bank management, those who make bank policy, such as we lately see strange examples of.

Core

Ethical abuse. Violating their oath. Abusing authority to push a political agenda. Violating banks trust. The list goes on and on. Jesus people when will the AG hold these people accountable?

Henry

When Trump admits his mistake and appoints an AG who isn’t in a perpetual coma.

Wild Bill

@Be good, Trump was not a politician, so he followed the advice that he was given. Now, he is struck until after the midterms and after the Mueller money wasting exercise. But Trump is learning fast.
We can help by draining the legislative part of the swamp.

Douglas Kuykendall

Sessions needs to go,get Tray Gowdy in there.He is not running for senate,done his two terms

BillyBob Texas

“Done his two terms…” I WISH they were limited to two terms. BTW, he was in the House, not the Senate.

But….YES – we could use him – as he used to be a Prosecutor !

Douglas Kuykendall

You are right is the house.He has only done two terms thou. I think he would be a great ag.

Boz

Round up the TRAITORS 0bama, Holder, Lynch and Janet Napolitano. Try for treason and execute at dawn.

BillyBob Texas

…..Lose the midterms, fellow gun owners, and we ain‘t seen nothin’ yet. ……

Y E P . !!!!!! You MUST get out and VOTE !

Missouri Born

If we had an attorney general worth his salt this crap would be taken care of and the responsible parties fired, prosecuted and FDIC pulled from the banks who participated.
Enough is enough with the crooked Obama policies.

joefoam

I thought Trump repealed operation Choke Point.

Cowboy Dan

He did, but none of the principals behave it are yet being prosecuted. I concur with David that they should be.

If Eric Holder wants to head south to hide out, I’m sure Mexico will welcome him warmly.