Scott Ritter announced that on Jan. 14, he found, without warning, that his bank accounts had been closed.
“Today my banking institution of 26 years, Citizens Bank, declared that they were ending their banking relationship with me. My accounts were zeroed out without explanation. While I may eventually see this money returned to me, the question of why this occurred remains unanswered, raising a whole host of issues related to civil liberties.”
It is notable that this action against Ritter comes just days after his speech at the launch of Diane Sare’s presidential campaign, and after publishing a scathing attack on the policies of the “current despot [who] promised to keep America out of wars.” The parallel case of former Swiss army Colonel Jacques Baud should also be kept in mind.
Ritter writes: “The purpose of ‘de-banking’ is to harass a targeted individual. To make their life hell…. I call upon [U.S. Representative] Paul Tonko to inquire into the reason why I was ‘de-banked,’ with the specific request to find out if the Priority Response team at Citizens Bank had received any tips from federal law enforcement that prompted their investigation. I call upon Kash Patel to investigate the FBI’s National Security Division to find out what, if any, contact was made by FBI personnel and Citizens Bank regarding my financial activity, and to hold those personnel accountable who are using federal law enforcement as a means of punishing Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights.
“And I call upon my supporters and the American public at large to not be silent about this action. Write letters to Paul Tonko. Write letters to Kash Patel. Write letters to Citizens Bank. Make your voice heard.
“Because if they can de-bank me, they can de-bank anyone.”
