Citibank was subpoenaed by a GOP-led congressional subcommittee Thursday over potential information sharing with the FBI.
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) formally issued the subpoenas demanding documentation after deeming the bank’s voluntary commitment insufficient.
“The Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained evidence showing that at least one major financial institution provided the FBI with private financial data without legal process,” Jordan wrote to Sunil Garg, CEO of Citibank North America in a subpoena cover letter.
The subpoena is demanding documents and communication pertinent to the subcommittee’s probe of major banks sharing data with the bureau.
Jordan reiterated testimony he cited in a June 12 letter asking for voluntary cooperation, that alleged Bank of America provided the FBI “voluntarily and without any legal process” information about individuals who made transactions in the Washington, DC, area between Jan. 5-7, 2021.
“Given this concerning testimony, the Committee has written to other major financial institutions, including Citibank, to determine whether those entities were involved in similar conduct,” he added.
The Ohio congressman also claimed that the Judiciary Committee and weaponization subcommittee obtained documents indicating Citibank “may have shared customer information with federal law enforcement despite the customers having no individualized nexus to criminal conduct.”
Some of those documents suggested that a Citibank representative participated in Zoom calls with the FBI aimed at “identifying the best approach to information sharing, both strategic and operational” in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, according to Jordan.
Other banks that Jordan previously sought voluntary cooperation from on June 12 include JPMorgan, PNC, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, and Truist Financial Corporation.
On Thursday, Jordan’s Judiciary Committee fired a pair of subpoenas at the heads of the FBI and Justice Department seeking documents related to alleged government coordination with Big Tech for content moderation policies.
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