DOJ's 'Operation Choke Point' May Be Root of Porn Star Bank Account Closings

Reason Hit & Run ^ | April 29, 2014 | Elizabeth Nolan Brown

[GrootheWanderer]

Despite being in good financial standing, adult film performers and others in the porn industry have had bank accounts abruptly terminated—and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) may have had something to do with it.

Under "Operation Choke Point," the DOJ and its allies are going after legal but subjectively undesirable business ventures by pressuring banks to terminate their bank accounts or refuse their business. The very premise is clearly chilling—the DOJ is coercing private businesses in an attempt to centrally engineer the American marketplace based on it's own politically biased moral judgements. Targeted business categories so far have included payday lenders, ammunition sales, dating services, purveyors of drug paraphernalia, and online gambling sites.

[GrootheWanderer]

Exactly how does the government get the authority to force banks not to do business with those engaged in legal activities?

[jim_trent]

How long until they apply this to guns owners, gun dealers, gun manufacturers, etc.

[silverleaf]

while forcing private businesses to make wedding cakes and take photography to celebrate any ceremony the customer demands

[E. Pluribus Unum]

They're doing it to the firearms industry as well.

[Hugin]

"Operation Chokepoint is flooding payments companies that provide processing service to those industries with subpoenas, civil investigative demands, and other burdensome and costly legal demands," wrote Jason Oxman, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association, at The Hill.

See, they're not forcing anybody to do anything. Just making a suggestion they can't refuse.

[GrootheWanderer]

The article says they already are.

[Future Snake Eater]

Can you imagine the outraged screaming if Ashcroft had done this?

[bigtoona]

I don’t understand why they would attack the porn industry. That occupation is a pillar of progressivism. Pornography is promoted and glorified on TV and in our schools constantly. It is the main tool of political correctness and cultural Marxism to destroy families and religion.

[TurboZamboni]

Bank of Amigos

http://dailycaller.com/2012/04/20/anti-gun-bank-of-america-tells-gun-company-to-find-another-bank/

I’m sure DOJ and IRS would NEVER harass people/businesses they don’t like...

[sickoflibs]

Interesting, I found this site dedicated to exposing the program:

stopthechoke.com/

[jsanders2001]

> See, they’re not forcing anybody to do anything. Just making a suggestion they can’t refuse.

Thats what happens before a soft tyrrany turns into a hard tyrrany (they make suggestions). They will convert to a hard tyrrany the second they disarm their citizens.

[tanknetter]

This is part of helping to set the precedent to do that. If they do it across a wide swath of “undesirable” industries, the perceived disparate targeting/impact of the firearms industry is reduced. And in fact reinforces the perception that guns are bad by linking them through guilt by association to porn, drugs, etc.

[areukiddingme1]

Okay, not a supporter of the porn industry - My choice, but a) I do support freedom and b) Is this badork odumbo’s way of enforcing his “muslim faith.”

Muslim men are not allowed to view porn, right?

[GrootheWanderer]

No joke, but most of the porn people that I have read about being involved in politics were either Republicans or Libertarians. I recall a few years ago it came out that a GOP county officer in Nevada was a porn star. and going back to the Bush administration I remember it was a big scandal when it was revealed that one of his California donors was a former porn star. And one of the free LA weeklies looked up the political donations of porn execs and found they skewed to the Republicans and Libertarian Party.

[jsanders2001]

I can see good coming out of this. Liberals HAVE to have their porn to feed their depravity. They won’t like this one bit. Between being forced to pay for Obamacare and the porn industry being impacted they will switch teams and begin to hate the man. I see a bad moon arisin’....

[.45 Long Colt]

How long before they collude to target people for what they BELIEVE?

Don’t support sodomy, no bank account for you.

You think manmade global warming isn’t true, then you don’t deserve to buy gasoline.

You deny macro-evolution while believing in the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, to the FEMA camp you go.

[Tupelo]

re: Exactly how does the government get the authority to force banks not to do business with those engaged in legal activities?

They take it. This has been coming since 1900 with an occasional push-back. Now due to the complicity of one party and the timidity of the other, the Federals are damn close to completely subjugating us all.

[SampleMan]

Under "Operation Choke Point," the DOJ and its allies are going after legal but subjectively undesirable business ventures by pressuring banks to terminate their bank accounts or refuse their business.

So now we know why Chase is canceling firearm accounts and refusing to process firearm related credit card purchases.

[Flick Lives]

I don’t understand why they would attack the porn industry. That occupation is a pillar of progressivism.

You're thinking logically.   ;-)   Think like a progressive; where everything is based on political pull and not financial rationale. This is just the Regime signaling that they'd like a political donation. Following that, I'm sure this problem would magically disappear. That, and of course appointing a few important ex politicians to the boards of director for some of these companies. If you want to know how the Dems operate, just think mafia. It's really not much different, except the mafia has more honor.

[SampleMan]

Unless you have the Beast’s name or number on your person, you cannot buy or sell.