Today, the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee on House Administration, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a joint interim staff report entitled, "Fraud on ActBlue: How the Democrats’ Top Fundraising Platform Opens the Door for Illegal Election Contributions." The report discusses allegations of reduced fraud-prevention measures by ActBlue and potential illegal activity on the platform.
The report alleges that ActBlue's executives and staff are aware of fraudulent activities by foreign and domestic sources on the platform but have not taken the issue seriously. It states that ActBlue made its fraud-prevention rules “more lenient” twice in 2024. The report also claims the training guide for new fraud-prevention employees encouraged them to "look for reasons to accept contributions," rather than flag suspicious donations. Internal communications suggested that ActBlue's chief fraud-prevention official was willing to tolerate an additional 10 percent fraud while emphasizing DEI initiatives. In addition, from September to October 2024, ActBlue reportedly detected 237 donations made from foreign IP addresses using domestic prepaid cards.
The Committees involved in releasing the report aim to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections and are committed to examining and potentially reforming election-related legislation.
Alongside the report, Chairmen Jim Jordan (R-OH), Bryan Steil (R-WI), and James Comer (R-KY) have requested relevant documents from ActBlue, seeking more information on recent internal matters. They pointed out ActBlue's internal issues, highlighting a lack of a functioning legal team and potential retaliatory actions, which raise questions about compliance with federal election law.
"As a political action committee (PAC), ActBlue must take a variety of steps to comply with federal election law," stated the letter, noting staff resignations and internal issues may impact ActBlue's legal obligations. "Recent staff resignations and internal turmoil at ActBlue raise serious questions about ActBlue's ability to fulfill these ongoing legal obligations."
The Committees are requesting documents related to staff responsible for legal compliance, any issues concerning whistleblower retaliation, and information on recent staff resignations, including that of former Vice President for Customer Service Alyssa Twomey and former General Counsel Darrin Hurwitz.
Read the full joint interim staff report and letter to ActBlue's CEO for more details.
