Paxton Responds to ActBlue Lawsuit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reacted sharply on Friday after the Democratic fundraising group ActBlue filed a lawsuit against him, claiming violations of constitutional rights.
Last month, Paxton had filed his own lawsuit against ActBlue, alleging that the organization was unlawfully accepting donations, which is against campaign finance laws. This isn’t the first time ActBlue has faced such allegations; similar accusations have been levied by Republicans over the years.
In a statement, Paxton expressed his views, declaring, “This is retaliation for constitutionally protected political speech and association, and is exactly what the First Amendment prohibits.”
ActBlue’s lawsuit claims that Paxton has infringed on its First and 14th Amendment rights, with representatives stating that he has abused his power for political gain.
“ActBlue is trying to bring me down,” Paxton said in a social media post. “I sued this fundraising platform for misleading Americans about fraudulent donations and the processes that allowed foreign contributions. We will hold accountable those who violate the law.”
Lawrence Oliver, the chief legal officer for ActBlue, accused Paxton of using his office to conduct politically motivated investigations and harassment against their organization over the past two years.
Oliver further commented, “The timing of Mr. Paxton’s actions, particularly as he campaigns for a U.S. Senate seat, should raise concerns. He is wasting taxpayer resources on his own political ambitions.” He added, “This is not about law enforcement but rather a retaliatory move against constitutionally protected political activities.”
Among the accusations leveled at Paxton is that his investigators attempted to demonstrate how easily illegal donations could be made using American Express gift cards on ActBlue. However, they reportedly failed three times, and it is alleged that Paxton did not disclose these attempts in Texas courts.
Additionally, ActBlue has shared messages from Democratic activists criticizing Republicans, asserting that the real motivation behind the attacks on their organization is to undermine the Democrats’ ability to garner funds from small donors.
“Let’s be clear about one thing: The only reason Republicans are targeting ActBlue is because they want to destroy Democrats’ ability to raise money from small-dollar donors,” a statement from ActBlue mentioned.
