TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Attorney General Ashley Moody called on JPMorgan Chase & Co. to stop their alleged “blatant” hypocritical business practices after the company was accused of discriminating against dissenting religious beliefs or political affiliations.
The Florida AG, along with 18 other state attorneys general argue the bank “has not extended its openness and inclusivity to everyone,” pointing to the company’s “pattern” of denying service to religious and conservative-leaning customers, like the National Committee for Religious Freedom.
“The company publicly promotes inclusion yet arbitrarily denies service to customers with different beliefs,” the Attorney General’s Office said in an email Tuesday.
“For a company to promote its inclusiveness, then arbitrarily act against those sharing a different point of view, it is blatant hypocrisy,” Moody said.
She added the bank faced backlash for refusing to disclose and investigate such policies after a report revealed Chase has “unclear or imprecise policies” that allow it to “deny service for arbitrary or politically biased reasons.”
In addition to AG Moody, the attorneys general of the following states signed the letter: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.