Capital One says it closed Trump Organization accounts over money-laundering concerns : NPR
NPR Topics: Politics — 2026-08-02 13:31:00 — www.npr.org
Trump Organization Claims Political Retaliation in Capital One Account Closures, Bank Cites Anti-Money Laundering Review
The Trump Organization has alleged that Capital One’s decision to close hundreds of its bank accounts in 2021 was politically motivated, claiming the move was retaliation for the January 6 Capitol riot and an attempt by the bank to distance itself from Donald Trump. In court filings, the Trump-affiliated companies insisted the closures had nothing to do with financial crime or money laundering, but were instead driven by politics.
Capital One has strongly denied these assertions, stating in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that the shutdowns were the result of a months-long anti-money-laundering review conducted by its financial-crimes team. The bank argued that its own filings and the Trump businesses’ allegations “make clear that Capital One closed Plaintiffs’ accounts for anti-money laundering (‘AML’) reasons.” The bank also noted that it never publicized the termination decision or its internal process, and that the Trump companies were given months and several extensions to move their money elsewhere.
The Trump Organization’s amended complaint, filed in July, maintains that Capital One’s anti-money-laundering rationale was invented after the fact to cover for a politically motivated decision. Large sections of the complaint, including a portion titled “January 6, 2021: The Political Trigger,” remain sealed by court order.
Capital One has reiterated in court that its contract allowed it to close any account “at any time, for any or no reason and without notice,” a point the Trump companies do not dispute. The presiding judge had previously dismissed an earlier version of the lawsuit, ruling that a bank’s reason for closing an account under such a contract clause generally cannot be challenged in court.
This dispute is one of several lawsuits Trump-aligned entities have brought against major banks since Trump returned to the White House. President Trump also signed an executive order last August directing regulators to crack down on what he and other conservatives call politically motivated “debanking.”
The ongoing legal battle highlights the Trump Organization’s continued efforts to frame business setbacks as politically motivated attacks, even as the banks involved cite regulatory compliance and anti-money-laundering obligations as their rationale. The case underscores the broader debate over the intersection of politics, banking, and regulatory enforcement in the wake of high-profile political events.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/02/g-s1-136834/capital-one-trump-bank-anti-money-laundering