ADF thanks Trump for prioritizing the end of debanking
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco regarding comments made by President Donald Trump regarding politicized debanking:
“It’s encouraging that President Trump is prioritizing debanking. Politicized debanking is one of the most pressing issues of our time. No American should have to worry that their bank will cancel their account or punish them for their views.
“ADF has led the charge on exposing the rise in debanking, including JP Morgan Chase’s decision to close the account of Sam Brownback’s religious nonprofit and Bank of America’s closure of the accounts of Indigenous Advance, a nonprofit that serves orphans and widows overseas, and a church that supports its work. J.P. Morgan Chase has made important strides over the last year, including eliminating a vague ‘social risk’ policy that threatened and caused viewpoint-based denials of service. But Chase has a long way to go to repair their reputation and convince the public that they are truly committed to viewpoint neutrality. Sadly, unlike Chase, Bank of America remains in denial.
“It has also been deeply disturbing to learn that big banks have colluded with the federal government to target political opponents. The U.S. Department of Treasury’s FinCEN unit urged banks to flag individuals who bought religious texts, shopped at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, or supported organizations on a left-wing activist group’s ‘hate group’ list as domestic threats. This abuse has to stop.
“It’s un-American to deny basic financial services to people based on political and religious beliefs. Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to work with the administration as well as states to come up with solutions to prevent future instances of debanking.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Jeremy Tedesco
Jeremy Tedesco serves as senior counsel and senior vice president of corporate engagement for Alliance Defending Freedom. In this role, Tedesco leads ADF’s efforts to combat corporate cancel culture and build a business ethic that respects free speech, religious freedom, and human dignity. Immediately preceding his current role, Tedesco served as senior vice president for communications, during which time he was a lead convener of the Philadelphia Statement, a movement dedicated to restoring free speech and civil discourse. Previously, Tedesco litigated First Amendment cases at the highest levels. He was part of the legal team that represented cake artist Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission before the U.S. Supreme Court and argued Phillips’ case at the Colorado Court of Appeals. He was also the lead brief writer in two other U.S. Supreme Court wins, Reed v. Town of Gilbert and Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn. Tedesco has also argued six times before five different federal appellate courts and founded and directed the ADF Center for Conscience Initiatives, where he led efforts to protect individuals from government-coerced speech. Tedesco earned his Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Regent University School of Law.