According to Cointelegraph, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has refuted claims that the bank debanks customers based on their religious or political affiliations. In an interview with Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures,' Dimon emphasized that while JPMorgan has ceased services for individuals from various backgrounds, political affiliations have never been a determining factor. Devin Nunes, chair of the President’s intelligence advisory board and CEO of Trump Media, has alleged that JPMorgan debanked the company and was among over 400 Trump-linked entities whose banking records were subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith. Additionally, Jack Mallers, CEO of Bitcoin Lightning Network payments company Strike, accused JPMorgan of closing his personal accounts without explanation, raising concerns about a potential Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Houston Morgan from ShapeShift shared a similar experience in November.
Dimon firmly stated that JPMorgan does not debank individuals due to their political or religious affiliations. He clarified that while the bank has debanked people with various affiliations, it was never for those reasons. Dimon expressed his desire to change debanking rules, noting that crypto firms have faced account closures and service denials for years, which many believe are part of efforts to suppress the digital assets sector. Dimon criticized the current debanking rules and expressed support for the Trump administration's efforts to change them, stating he has advocated for rule changes for 15 years. He described the current system as customer unfriendly, with debanking occurring due to suspected activities or negative media.
In August, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing banking regulators to investigate debanking claims from the crypto sector and conservatives. Dimon mentioned that banks are required to share information with the government when subpoenaed, but JPMorgan has made recommendations to reduce reporting and debanking instances. He emphasized that the bank does not provide information to the government without a subpoena and has complied with subpoenas across multiple administrations. Dimon criticized the government's actions that frustrate banks and called for solutions rather than assigning blame. He noted that both Democratic and Republican governments have pressured banks, urging an end to the militarization of government actions against financial institutions.
