人兽性交

Despite the lack of evidence for any broad-based, anti-conservative Christian banking conspiracy, the idea has been gaining traction in the right-wing political sphere, even finding a sympathetic audience with some lawmakers.

Making a conspiracy

ADF鈥檚 senior vice president for corporate engagement, Jeremy Tedesco, testified about debanking at a March 7 hearing before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. His testimony largely centered on ADF鈥檚 yearslong legal, lobbying and public relations efforts to coerce boards of publicly traded companies to vote on anti-DEI policies, characterized as 鈥�viewpoint diversity鈥� advocacy.

ADF claims that 鈥渄ebanking鈥� is the result of government and corporate collusion to silence 鈥� and close the bank accounts of 鈥� conservative Christians. The government and banks, Tedesco claimed in his testimony, have shown an 鈥渦nsettling willingness鈥� to monitor 鈥渃ustomers鈥� speech and religious exercise.鈥�

By conflating the market consequences for supporting hate and extremism 鈥� such as customers choosing not to patronize and shareholders not investing in corporations that do business with extremist groups 鈥� ADF has perpetuated a false conspiracy theory that claims big government and big corporations are victimizing conservative Christians.

鈥淭he government can and will weaponize the financial marketplace against Americans for political benefit,鈥� Tedesco warned. At the same time, he implored the committee to adopt a bill, the 鈥淔air Access to Banking Act,鈥� that would coerce banks and financial institutions to violate their corporate DEI values, forcing them to do business with hate and extremist groups.

In 2024, ADF has devoted significant resources to pushing the idea of 鈥渄ebanking鈥� into the public sphere, even as the group claims that its own donations have suffered in the past five years as large, donor-advised funds question the group鈥檚 record of spreading anti-人兽性交+ hate and extremism.

Tedesco鈥檚 public appearances suggest ADF is drawing on both Christian right and white nationalist themes to build its case for government regulation to stop what it characterizes as an anti-white and anti-Christian conspiracy.

In a May 16 interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who is for defying a congressional subpoena, Tedesco described 鈥渄ebanking鈥� as an Obama-era 鈥渃ollusion鈥� by banking regulators to secretly pressure financial institutions to drop conservative clients. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a newer phenomenon that really started under President Obama,鈥� Tedesco claimed, describing a 鈥渟ecret鈥� process in which 鈥渢hey can go to the banks and say, hey, you know, you鈥檝e got this client that has some pretty negative publicity, we think it鈥檚 risky for you guys to continue to bank them. You should think about that.鈥�

Tedesco claims that financial institutions, spurred on by federal regulators, use 鈥渞eputational risk鈥� policies that 鈥渂an hate speech or intolerance鈥� to 鈥渞estrict or deny service based on a customer鈥檚 speech or religion.鈥� The claim is consistent with ADF鈥檚 attempts to link anti-人兽性交+ extremism with the concept of 鈥渞eligious freedom鈥� in international law and American foreign policy.

In both cases, ADF argues that the private sector and even other private religious groups should not be allowed to hold hate groups accountable for their extremist views. Instead, they assert, banks should be punished when they choose not to do business with groups that promote hate and extremism.

Other Christian-right personalities and conspiracy theorists have given ADF鈥檚 debanking claims even more urgency by amplifying perceived threats to conservative Christians and situating the 鈥渄ebanking鈥� conspiracy theory within apocalyptic Christian theology.

鈥淒ebanking Christians is literally apocalyptic,鈥� reads the headline of John Zmirak鈥檚 March 11 article in the Christian-right publication The Stream, in which Tedesco鈥檚 March 7 testimony to Congress is heavily featured. Debanking, Zmirak says, 鈥渃losely parallels the text of [the New Testament Book of] Revelation.鈥�

During a March 15 interview with Christian-right commentator Eric Metaxas, Tedesco described debanking as an 鈥淥rwellian鈥� system of 鈥渃ollusion鈥� between banks and the federal government to silence Christians.

鈥淎re you paying attention that we鈥檙e in a war?鈥� Metaxas asked his audience. 鈥淪o, if you love God and the United States of America, you鈥檙e the bad guy according to these evil actors.鈥�

As Hatewatch previously reported, Tedesco discussed debanking with far-right commentator Tim Pool in June. Tedesco described ADF鈥檚 work as 鈥渢rying to stop the Biden administration weaponizing the federal government and private corporations against our First Amendment rights.鈥� Pool replied: 鈥淚 do also feel that it鈥檚 not just about white people, but also, it鈥檚 like if you鈥檙e a white Christian, it鈥檚 fair game. If you鈥檙e a white Christian man, good luck.鈥�

Questionable claims

At the center of many recent ADF debanking narratives is a Tennessee-based nonprofit called Indigenous Advance Ministries, which also operates a for-profit debt collection service and call center in Uganda called Indigenous Advance Customer Center. In Tedesco鈥檚 March 7 testimony to Congress, he insinuated that Bank of America closed the accounts of both groups because it engaged in 鈥渧iewpoint-based de-banking.鈥�

However, ADF senior counsel Matt Sharp that it 鈥渞emained unclear why the accounts were canceled.鈥� The Times Free Press also quoted a Bank of America spokesperson who said the bank鈥檚 small business division 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 offer banking services to organizations that provide debt collection services for a variety of risk-related considerations and doesn鈥檛 serve small businesses operating outside the United States.鈥�

In 2024, ADF successfully used the narrative it created about Indigenous Advance Customer Center to advocate a first-of-its kind bill in Tennessee that would override some large banks鈥� corporate DEI policies, potentially compelling them to do business with hate and extremist groups.

In his testimony to Congress, Tedesco also claimed JPMorgan Chase 鈥渄ebanked鈥� the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), a group led by former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback whose board includes former ADF President Michael Farris. In a , Brownback and Tedesco directly accused Chase of 鈥渄ebanking鈥� the group because the bank asked NCRF for a list of its largest donors to comply with federal money-laundering laws, conflating the request for information with religious discrimination.

As Hatewatch previously reported, ADF鈥檚 viewpoint diversity initiative is supported by an advisory council full of far-right figures, many of whom have multibillion-dollar investment firms at their disposal. One, a former Morgan Stanley managing director named David Bahnsen, went after JPMorgan Chase with accusations of 鈥渄ebanking.鈥�

As reported by in 2023, Bahnsen鈥檚 family trust submitted a proposal to JPMorgan Chase demanding the company investigate and report on 鈥渉ow it oversees risks鈥� related to several categories such as 鈥渞eligion (including religious views) ... or political views, and whether such discrimination may impact individuals鈥� exercise of their constitutionally protected civil rights.鈥�

The letter accompanying the proposal cited ADF鈥檚 2022 Viewpoint Diversity Index and a statement co-authored by Viewpoint Diversity Score advisers that was sent to more than 50 financial institutions. The letter suggested an internal investigation by JPMorgan Chase was warranted because, it claimed, many businesses 鈥減ush divisive concepts in employee trainings, openly discriminate against employees of faith, weaponize their capital and political clout to undermine free speech and religious freedom, and refuse to disclose public and private demands to cancel or 鈥榙ebank鈥� certain individuals or organizations.鈥�

Brownback has since appeared with ADF at public events, warning of the threat of 鈥渄ebanking,鈥� and his Newsweek commentary has been recycled by ADF and in a May 2023 letter by 19 state attorneys general who demanded JPMorgan Chase reform its policies.

After the JPMorgan Chase board decided not to vote on the Bahnsen proposal, ADF, assisted by the law firm Boyden Gray PLLC, filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In March 2023, the SEC ruled in favor of Bahnsen and required the company鈥檚 shareholders to vote on the proposal. However, Bahnsen the proposal in 2024, prior to the shareholder vote.

Illustration at top: Alliance Defending Freedom claims that 鈥渄ebanking鈥� is the result of government and corporate collusion to silence 鈥� and close the bank accounts of 鈥� conservative Christians. (Credit: 人兽性交)