Kentucky's Daniel Cameron Scores Win against Threat of Banks Cutting Off Conservatives
Tyler O'Neil : Jun 21, 2023
The Daily Signal
"I felt compelled to get involved because, as the top legal officer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky—and I know a lot of my colleagues that joined us in this effort believe this, as well—we have a responsibility to protect the free speech rights and the exercise of freedom of religion in the marketplace of ideas. Chase is a big player in the marketplace, and to say that they would, without notice, cut off or debank—if you will—the National Committee for Religious Freedom is absurd, and it should never have happened." -Daniel Cameron, Kentucky Attorney General
[DailySignal.com] Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican who is also running for governor, secured a pledge from JPMorgan Chase that may help protect conservatives from the threat of "debanking"—when banks cut off services over the religious or political stance of a customer, including nonprofits. (Screengrab image)
Cameron slammed the "hypocrisy that we see from big businesses."
Speaking with "The Daily Signal Podcast," Cameron notes that corporations "will promote the ideas and the agenda of the far Left, but they remain quiet or dismissive of protecting the First Amendment rights of religious organizations and—dare I say—the majority of Americans who firmly believe that we should have and welcome all viewpoints into the marketplace of ideas."
In May 2022, Chase closed an account for the National Committee for Religious Freedom, an organization founded by Sam Brownback, a former Kansas governor and President Donald Trump's ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
Brownback, along with conservative organizations, suggested that Chase closed the account for religious or political reasons, which Chase denied. The bank said it closed the account because it needed more information about donors and recipients than the nonprofit provided.
Chase also had closed accounts associated with the Arkansas Family Council and Defense of Liberty in 2021.
Cameron led 19 attorneys general in sending a letter to Chase that demands answers and requests that the bank consider engaging with Alliance Defending Freedom's Viewpoint Diversity Score's Business index, which measures companies' respect for free speech and religious freedom. The index follows the methods of the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which companies such as Chase highly value.
23.5.2-Letter-to-ChaseDownload
Chase responded to the attorneys general, insisting that the closure of NCRF's account had nothing to do with its religious or political affiliation. Yet Chase added that the bank would consider participating in the Viewpoint Diversity Score survey.
"With the Viewpoints Diversity Survey, we recently learned that the survey was emailed to a generic mailbox in 2021, and that without proper reviews, the request was declined," Eileen Braden, Chase's managing director and head of state and local government relations, replied in a letter. "We are actively considering participating in the survey in its 2023 round and are shoring up our processes for reviewing and decisioning myriad survey requests we receive each year from around the world."
Kentucky's attorney general praised this response in a formal statement last week.
"We appreciate Chase's good faith response and encourage the bank to fulfill its promise by participating in the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index survey at the earliest possible opportunity," Cameron said. "Providing insight into the bank's approach to viewpoint diversity is a critical first step to reforming the practices that have led to persistent unequal treatment at Chase. Our hope is that the openness and inclusivity Chase professes will soon be extended to everyone, regardless of their religious or political affiliation."
"The goal here, the mission here, is to make sure that they use this index much in the same way that they use this Corporate Equality Index," Cameron told The Daily Signal, referring to the Human Rights Campaign survey. "I want to make sure that religiously affiliated organizations feel like they have full access to the marketplace and to the banking sector within this country."
"I felt compelled to get involved because, as the top legal officer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky—and I know a lot of my colleagues that joined us in this effort believe this, as well—we have a responsibility to protect the free speech rights and the exercise of freedom of religion in the marketplace of ideas," he says on the podcast. "Chase is a big player in the marketplace, and to say that they would, without notice, cut off or debank—if you will—the National Committee for Religious Freedom is absurd, and it should never have happened."
Cameron warns that "the far Left will try to use institutions to quash and silence the voices of commonsense Americans who have values that don't align with the far Left." He noted that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which brands mainstream conservative and Christian organizations "hate groups," placing them on a map with the Ku Klux Klan chapters, is notorious for this.
Kentucky's attorney general pledges that, if elected governor, he will ensure that the Kentucky State Police doesn't rely on the SPLC.
"If I get the opportunity to serve as governor, I can assure you that our Kentucky State Police will not be relying on SPLC, or any other organization, that is trying to quash and silence religious organizations here in Kentucky," Cameron says. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
Listen to the podcast by Clicking Here and scrolling down, or read the lightly edited transcript.
Tyler O'Neil is managing editor of The Daily Signal and the author of "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center."