The Democratic National Committee's donor platform, ActBlue, is facing an investigation by Republican members of the House Oversight Committee over “potential fraud” related to donations to candidates' campaigns.
in letter In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Republicans Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) wrote that the committee is investigating reports of “fraudulent and potentially illegal financial activity” related to “contributions to the campaigns of candidates for federal office via online fundraising platforms such as ActBlue.”
The lawmakers added that the report raised concerns that there had been “fraud and circumvention of campaign finance laws” through the misuse of “online donation platforms.”
“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating reports of potentially fraudulent or illegal financial activity related to contributions to the campaigns of candidates for federal office through online fundraising platforms such as ActBlue,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Committee will be writing to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) requesting that it provide the Committee with certain Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) relevant to the Committee's investigation.”
The lawmakers noted that ActBlue “failed to implement standard procedures” to prevent and protect against identity theft and fraud “until it received criticism.”
Recent reports have raised fears of fraud and evasion of campaign finance laws by individuals abusing online donation platforms, particularly ActBlue. For example, ActBlue was criticized for failing to implement standard procedures to prevent identity theft and fraud, such as requiring a card verification value (CVV) to process online transactions. ActBlue has also been investigated by multiple state authorities for allegedly fraudulent donations made through the platform without the reported donors' knowledge. In Virginia, reports of donation activity facilitated through the ActBlue platform included “cases in which a single donor made tens of thousands of separate donations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Federal law prohibits making donations in someone else's name, and for good reason. The Committee is concerned that the failure to adequately vet donations made through online platforms may have made it easier for bad actors to commit fraud and to illegally violate federal campaign finance laws. These bad actors could include foreign nationals without lawful permanent residence who are prohibited by law from donating to campaigns or political parties. They could also include individuals who attempt to circumvent personal donation limits by misrepresenting the identity of another person, in addition to other criminal violations of campaign finance laws.
As Breitbart News previously reported, in early August, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares expressed concerns to ActBlue about “suspicious” donations, some of which were “large” and seemingly unbelievable.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also reportedly made announcements. investigation In December 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also joined ActBlue. investigation It engaged ActBlue to investigate the matter to determine “whether its operations comply with all applicable laws.”
The committee members added in their letter that Yellen “has the authority to provide information obtained through SAR filings to congressional committees upon written request.”
