WASHINGTON — Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX 36) demanded the Obama administration suspend the Justice Department’s “Operation Choke Point,” in which government agents are pressuring banks to close the accounts of legal and law-abiding businesses engaged in commerce contrary to the political views of Barack Obama.
“(T)he Justice Department has launched Operation Choke Point, a credit card fraud probe focusing on banks and payment processors. The threat of enforcement has prompted some banks to cut ties with online gun retailers, even if those companies have valid licenses and good credit histories,” The Washington Times reported Monday morning.
“Under Obama’s ‘Operation Choke Point,’ banks are complaining that government agents are threatening them because they service legal businesses engaged in legal commerce. Often, the customer is a gun retailer or other businesses that poses no risk, but differs with Obama’s political agenda,” said Stockman.
Thousands of gun retailers have had their bank accounts forcibly closed, despite engaging in no illegal activity whatsoever.
“This is just the latest example of the Obama administration exploiting executive power to target political opponents. It would appear the only purpose of Operation Choke Point is to choke the life out of businesspeople with political views that may differ from the President,” said Stockman.
“Unable to pass gun control in Congress, Obama is seeking to stamp out gun ownership through the kind of threats and harassment you’d expect from Third World dictators or Mafia bosses,” said Stockman.
“Targeting the bank account of gun retailers engaged in peaceful and legal commerce is a blatant violation of civil liberties. Under Obama, the United States are becoming a banana republic. The Obama administration must suspend Operation Choke Point and instead focus its resources on criminal enterprises,” said Stockman.