JAMES Magazine Online: Senator Continues Fight for Freedom of Speech and Ending ‘Debanking’
Monday, March 17th, 2025
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One powerful Georgia Senator says he won’t give up his fight for freedom of speech and ending ‘debanking.’ Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, says that just one day after Senate Bill 57, the Freedom of Speech and Belief Act, “died a dramatic death” on the Senate floor, the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for Miami-Dade County, Florida against Capital One Bank for the alleged unjustified termination of more than 300 of its accounts.
On Monday Tillery took to the well and in a point of personal privilege he reminded his colleagues that the opponents of the DeBanking bill had assured other senators that DeBanking was rare and that the proposed law would only lead to frivolous lawsuits.
“I hope no one is accusing The Trump Organization of filing a frivolous lawsuit here,” said Tillery. “You were told that DeBanking was a rare occurrence, yet this lawsuit alone details more than 300 instances of it happening in a single case. It sounds like it’s not as rare as we have been told.”
Tillery pointed out that according to the Trump organization lawsuit, “Capital One did not provide the plaintiffs any recourse, remedy, or alternative – its decision was final.” The filing further alleges that: “Plaintiffs have reason to believe that Capital One’s unilateral decision came about as a result of political and social motivations and Capital One’s unsubstantiated, ‘woke’ beliefs that it needed to distance itself from President Trump and his conservative political views.”
Tillery pledged to continue fighting for Georgian’s rights to freedom of speech, association and political thought. “Weaponizing corporate power to silence individuals by threatening their access to banking is wrong, plain and simple,” Tillery stated.
“I think this issue matters to conservatives, and I want you to know that I am going to continue this fight.”
According to Fox News, sources indicate that Chase, Bank of America, and TD Bank also debanked President Trump at the time and could face similar legal action in the coming weeks.