(The Center Square) – A group of attorneys general from across the U.S. is going after one of the country’s largest banks, which it claims treats some Christians unfairly.
In a letter recently sent to JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, the groups said the bank preaches “openness and inclusivity,” but it has “persistently discriminated” against some religious liberty groups.
“Chase cannot call itself ‘inclusive’ and say that it ‘opposes discrimination in any form’ while simultaneously disenfranchising its clients over religious and political differences,” Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who took the lead in the effort, said. “I’m leading this coalition to stand up for Kentuckians.”
In the eight-page letter, Cameron notes Chase “de-banked” the National Committee for Religious Freedom last year, with the group learning its account at a Chase branch in Washington, D.C., was canceled just a few weeks after it was created.
The group said the financial institution offered to restore the account if it provided a list of donors, a list of political candidates it backed, and its rationale for endorsements.
The NCRF was not alone in being excluded. Cameron also pointed to the pro-life Family Council had an account ended by a credit card processor Chase owned after it was determined to be a “high-risk” group.
Meanwhile, Chase touts the scores and marks it received from groups like the Human Rights Campaign, which fights for LGBTQ+ rights. That shows a “concerning double standard,” Cameron said.
“This pattern of discrimination means that many Kentuckians, and many residents of the states represented by the signatories to this letter, are at risk of being de-banked without notice or recourse,” said Cameron, a Republican who is running for the party’s gubernatorial nomination later this month.
The letter calls on Chase to end discriminating against certain groups for their religious or political beliefs. One way it can show that is by participating in the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index survey, which Cameron said measures “corporate respect for religious and ideological diversity.”
Besides Cameron, the letter was also signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
By Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square contributor
