Wyden, Brown Demand Assurances Investigative Requests Handled Fairly

Senators reiterate need for SARS requests to be processed in order of receipt

Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, today requested a briefing from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to ensure requests for Suspicious Activity Reports (SARS) are handled in the order they are received, not prioritized according to political interests.

The senators wrote, “Information requests from Congress, including legitimate Committee oversight requests related to Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), often take months to process, and we understand that certain such requests have yet to be answered at all. In general, Congressional requests for such information should be handled in the order they are received, and prompt responsiveness by FinCEN is vital.”

Full text of the letter follows:

Mr. Kenneth A. Blanco, Director

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

2070 Chain Bridge Road

Vienna, Virginia 22182

Dear Director Blanco:

We write regarding the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) recently announced realignment of its Liaison Division as the Strategic Operations Division (Strategic Ops). The new division will reportedly be responsible for designing and implementing FinCEN’s strategic partnerships with industry as well as state, local and U.S. Government colleagues. Congress is a vital partner in promoting national security by combating illicit finance. This realignment presents a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Congress and FinCEN.

We think FinCEN should use the realignment to ensure that its information sharing with Congress is more robust, timely and transparent. Information requests from Congress, including legitimate Committee oversight requests related to Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), often take months to process, and we understand that certain such requests have yet to be answered at all. In general, Congressional requests for such information should be handled in the order they are received, and prompt responsiveness by FinCEN is vital. Further, FinCEN must take steps to ensure that its partnership with Congress is free of partisan influence. FinCEN’s integrity is vital to its mission, and any appearance of favoritism could compromise FinCEN’s ability to promote national security.

We request a briefing from FinCEN to discuss how FinCEN and the new Strategic Ops realignment might be able to address these and other concerns. The cooperation of FinCEN and Congress is essential to our respective national, economic and financial security functions, and we look forward to hearing from you.

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