(Dan McCaleb, The Center Square) Democratic campaign contribution platform ActBlue is the target of President Donald’s Trump’s latest memorandum after Congressional committees reported evidence it found that ActBlue was used to circumvent campaign finance laws.
Trump signed the memorandum Thursday directing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to investigate ActBlue and other such platforms, writing “there is evidence to suggest that foreign nationals are seeking to misuse online fundraising platforms to improperly influence American elections. A recent House of Representatives investigation revealed that a platform named ActBlue had in recent years detected at least 22 ‘significant fraud campaigns’, nearly half of which had a foreign nexus.”
U.S. House committees launched investigations into ActBlue last year after “reports of potentially fraudulent and illicit financial activity,” including by accepting illegal foreign money and reports of “dummy” accounts being used to make thousands of donations.
“During a 30-day window during the 2024 campaign, the platform detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards, indicating that this activity remains a pressing concern,” Trump’s memorandum says.
A Congressional staff report released earlier this month claimed that ActBlue executives knew that “both foreign and domestic” actors used the platform fraudulently but did not work diligently to address the issues, The Center Square reported.
“These activities undermine the integrity of our electoral process,” Trump’s memorandum says. “Therefore, I direct the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to use all lawful authority, as necessary, to investigate allegations regarding the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees, and to take all appropriate actions to enforce the law.”
A Republican strategist in Wisconsin who says his name was used to give $900 to Democrats without his knowledge or consent sued ActBlue last year.
