Fri Sep 20 13:36:28 UTC 2024: ## House Republicans Launch Probe Into ActBlue Donations, Demand Bank Records
A Republican-led House committee has launched an investigation into ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform, alleging potential fraud and illegal campaign finance violations. The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY), has demanded access to all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) from the Treasury Department for transactions involving ActBlue since January 1, 2023.
The committee alleges that ActBlue may have facilitated money laundering, credit card fraud, false statements, and even foreign influence in US elections by accepting donations without proper verification. Specifically, they point to ActBlue’s previous lack of Card Verification Value (CVV) requirement for online transactions, which potentially allowed “bad actors” to make fraudulent donations using stolen or counterfeit cards.
The investigation follows reports of numerous “dummy” accounts used to make large donations through ActBlue, with some individual donors making tens of thousands of separate donations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. These reports prompted lawsuits from Republican-led states and investigations by Republican Attorneys General in Missouri, Wyoming, and Texas.
The House Administration Committee, chaired by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), has also called for emergency rulemaking by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to bolster verification processes and prevent further fraud. Whistleblowers have brought concerns about ActBlue’s lack of safeguards to the committee.
ActBlue raised over $2.2 billion for Democratic candidates and causes during the 2021-2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.com. The Treasury Department has declined to comment on the investigation.
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