House Republicans have subpoenaed Democrat Party fundraising portal ActBlue over allegations of illegally funneling foreign money to campaigns.
Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, a Republican, said in a press release on Wednesday that he subpoenaed “documents related to ActBlue’s donor verification policies and the potential for foreign actors to use the platform to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.”
“We cannot allow foreign actors to influence our elections through campaign financing,” Chairman Steil said.
Steil continued, “The Committee’s investigation uncovered that foreign actors might be taking advantage of ActBlue’s inadequate security protocols. To ensure that foreign money is not being laundered through ActBlue, we are requesting a series of documents and communications related to their donor security and verification policies. Preventing foreign interference in U.S. elections has been my top priority as Chairman and this next step in our investigation is crucial to achieving that goal.”
Last year, it was revealed that ActBlue was accepting donations without requiring a CVV, prompting Steil to send a letter questioning whether they comply with federal campaign finance laws and prevent foreign and illegal contributions.
Steil’s office noted that on September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act.
“The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards,” the press release explained. “It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.”
ActBlue has handled over $1.5 billion in donations from approximately seven million donors.
Fox News reporter Chad Pergram obtained a statement from ActBlue regarding the subpoena.
ActBlue: ActBlue has received Chairman Steil’s latest inquiry and will respond to address the continued inaccuracies and misrepresentations about our platform, as we have done previously. We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices.…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 31, 2024
“ActBlue has received Chairman Steil’s latest inquiry and will respond to address the continued inaccuracies and misrepresentations about our platform, as we have done previously,” the statement began. “We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform.”
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