House GOP Intensifies Probe Into ActBlue Over Alleged Foreign Donations

House GOP investigators are escalating their inquiry into ActBlue after a recent report cast doubt on the fundraising platform’s practices. Concerns focus on whether ActBlue, a major fundraising tool used by Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others, is accepting foreign donations and potentially misleading Congress.

Ongoing Investigation

According to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the investigation into ActBlue is not complete. “Our investigation is far from over. We expect more documents and testimony in the weeks ahead,” Comer stated.

Republican lawmakers have accused ActBlue of having inadequate donor verification processes. ActBlue has claimed improvements, but new findings suggest otherwise. Employees reportedly approved donations despite questions about their origins.

CEO Invokes Fifth Amendment

ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones appeared before the House Administration Committee but invoked the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer questions. The company insists on its integrity, indicating no intention to return the questioned donations.

Fraud Prevention Criticism

Concerned about ActBlue’s fraud prevention, House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil highlighted weaknesses in verification processes. Allegedly, passport verification doesn’t involve checks against government databases.

House Judiciary Pursues Oversight

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, plans continued oversight of ActBlue. ActBlue employees and board members have also invoked the Fifth during closed-door depositions.

Citing Republican findings, the report alleges that ActBlue verification checks only ensure a certain number of passport number characters but do not validate U.S. passports.

Donation Approval Despite Red Flags

The report provided excerpts indicating supervisory approvals of donations despite potential “red flags.” An internal memo described a donor with a frequently Hong Kong-based IP address as not problematic, despite other signals indicating foreign origins.

In another instance, an employee noted that a donor with a Missouri address likely resided in Canada, yet their identity was verified using Twitter, raising further questions about the platform’s verification standards.

Political Response

Amid these findings, ActBlue asserts accusations are politically motivated. The company maintains that foreign donations via small contributions are not problematic for U.S. elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has urged Democrats to sever ties with ActBlue and return any questionable donations. ActBlue has responded, standing by its forensic analysis and dismissing the allegations as a political stunt.