All articles tagged with #actblue
House Republican leaders have summoned ActBlue attorney Ronald Machen for a closed-door interview before October 9, alleging that his prior testimony contradicted internal documents showing lax verification of foreign donors. The move follows a report suggesting ActBlue accepted contributions without valid U.S. passport numbers, a claim the platform denies as a political stunt.
House Republicans say their ActBlue investigation is far from over after a Fox News Digital report raised questions about foreign donations and verification, pledging more documents and testimony in the coming weeks. The probe has highlighted memos suggesting red flags on donors and admissions by ActBlue staff, with ten employees/board members invoking the Fifth Amendment during depositions. ActBlue denies wrongdoing and points to its own statements that foreign-donation issues are not evidenced, while House committees vow continued oversight and potential actions amid partisan clash over motive.
ActBlue has faced internal turmoil after outside counsel warned its vetting of foreign donations may have fallen short, prompting a leadership clash, resignations, and renewed GOP probes into possible misrepresentation to Congress; Democrats defend the leadership while Republicans seek documents, but ActBlue remains central to Democratic fundraising with record quarterly totals and new rules barring foreign-address contributions as campaigns consider backup tools ahead of the midterms.
House Democrats are accelerating oversight of online fundraising platforms, pressing WinRed’s CEO to testify and preserve documents amid questions about foreign contributions as Republicans press ahead with their probe of ActBlue; Democrats argue oversight is needed to expose fraud, while ActBlue’s CEO faced questions and invoked the Fifth Amendment.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against ActBlue, accusing the platform of deceptive donation processes that may enable fraudulent and foreign contributions and violate state law. The move comes after investigations and reporting suggested safeguards were inconsistently applied, with examples like gift-card donations bypassing identification, and amid congressional inquiries claiming ActBlue claimed to halt illegal operations.
ActBlue employees invoked the Fifth Amendment at least 146 times in depositions with House committees probing donor fraud on the platform, with several officials and former lawyers declining to answer substantive questions. The interim report faults testimony evasions, cites alleged gaps in fraud-prevention for foreign donations since 2020, and suggests withheld materials and potential misleading statements to Congress. ActBlue denies wrongdoing, while the probe widens, and Texas AG Paxton has sued ActBlue based on the committees’ findings.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a state-court lawsuit against ActBlue, alleging the Democratic donor platform accepts donations from foreign nationals and donors who have reached the legal contribution limit, including via gift cards and prepaid cards, and seeks to halt such contributions with up to $10,000 in civil penalties per violation under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. ActBlue denies wrongdoing and calls the claims politically motivated, as Paxton’s investigations into the platform continue amid broader debates over campaign fundraising.
House Republicans escalate subpoenas against ActBlue over alleged foreign donations and possible misdirection to Congress, while a heated fight over reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act unfolds with Johnson insisting on a clean extension and conservatives pressing for privacy amendments. The day also features resignations by Reps. Swalwell and Gonzales amid misconduct allegations, scrutiny of Rep. Cory Mills’ ethics case, and surrounding Capitol Hill developments on immigration funding, the farm bill, and a note of Trump urging GOP unity on spy powers as Johnson publicly urged Trump to delete an AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus.