Except, you know, for that whole “have a bank account” thing. But who needs that anyhow, man. Freebird!
Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, RT contributor and critic of American foreign policy, has said he has been “de-banked” and that US federal authorities are likely behind his bank’s decision.
Ritter served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq in the 1990s. He opposed the 2003 US invasion, arguing that Saddam Hussein’s government did not possess weapons of mass destruction, contrary to Washington’s now-debunked claims. He later became an independent journalist and political commentator and has cooperated with international media, including RT.
On Thursday, Ritter wrote on his website that “today my banking institution of 26 years, Citizens Bank, declared that they were ending their banking relationship with me. My accounts were zeroed out without explanation.”
As a general rule, if the banks won’t let you have an account with them, that’s a pretty good sign that whatever your personal flaws might be, you’re on the side of the angels. It’s rather remarkable to observe that “being sane about Ukraine’s prospects” is now grounds for cancellation and debanking.
It’s rather remarkable that this sort of thing is permitted, given the way in which banks are, in almost no way, “private” entities. If you think banks are not part of the government, just try and open one…