Congress has issued subpoenas for two former ActBlue employees as part of an investigation into whether the online fundraising platform allowed foreign contributions to Democrats in the 2024 election. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, House Oversight Chairman James Comer, and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil are leading the probe. The subpoenas require testimony from Alyssa Twomey, a former ActBlue Vice President, and a senior workflow specialist by July 15. Their lawyer declined a voluntary interview due to an ongoing Justice Department investigation.
The congressional letter accompanying the subpoenas stated that the investigation aims to ensure that foreign individuals do not make illegal political donations through online platforms. The lawmakers have uncovered evidence that ActBlue had weakened its fraud protection measures during the 2024 election, despite being aware of attempts from foreign entities to submit fraudulent donations. The committees criticized ActBlue’s approach to fraud prevention, mentioning that staff training focused on accepting contributions rather than scrutinizing them for potential fraud.
ActBlue responded by highlighting concerns about the partisanship of the investigation and noted that the subpoenas were directed to individuals rather than the organization itself. The committees are examining ActBlue for potentially inadequate security that allowed foreign entities to illegally donate to U. S. political campaigns.
Concerns regarding possible foreign funding have been raised, specifically involving actors from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China. Lawmakers have requested access to Suspicious Activity Reports related to the platform's transactions. Recently, ActBlue updated its donor verification policy to reject certain high-risk donations, nearly coinciding with the introduction of a new legislative act aimed at preventing foreign contributions.
ActBlue has consistently denied any wrongdoing and claims to be cooperating with investigations. Internal documents from the organization indicated that recent policy changes may have facilitated fraud, and lawmakers have sought a DOJ investigation into potential criminal behavior. They highlighted that federal law prohibits foreign individuals from making political contributions, calling into question the actions of online fundraising platforms like ActBlue.
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