PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) has initiated an investigation into Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) over campaign donations made through ActBlue.
👥 Who’s Involved: Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the FEC, conservative advocacy group Coolidge-Reagan Foundation, and ActBlue.
📍 Where & When: The complaint was filed in March 2025; the FEC notified the group on April 2, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: FEC assistant general counsel Wanda D. Brown informed, “The respondents will be notified of this complaint within five business days.”
⚠️ Impact: The scrutiny could impact Rep. Crockett’s campaign financing and bring attention to ActBlue’s fundraising operations.
IN FULL:
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) has initiated an inquiry into donations to Rep. Jasmine Crockett‘s (D-TX) campaign. The inquiry will focus on contributions made via ActBlue, a platform for Democratic fundraising currently under increased scrutiny over allegations centered on foreign straw donations.
According to the FEC, its investigation seeks to determine whether donations made through ActBlue and designated for Crockett’s campaign adhere to federal campaign finance laws, given suspicious patterns in when the contributions were made.
A March 2025 complaint by the Coolidge-Reagan Foundation, a conservative advocacy organization, prompted the FEC’s action. The group has raised concerns over the nature of the fundraising activities linked to Rep. Crockett and allegations of voter intimidation. On April 2, 2025, the FEC formally communicated its intent to review these matters to the foundation.
Dan Becker, attorney for the Coolidge-Reagan Foundation, was informed of the investigation through a letter from FEC’s assistant general counsel for complaints examination and legal administration, Wanda D. Brown. Brown indicated that the parties involved would be notified promptly, and any additional information gathered would be shared with the Office of the General Counsel.
At the core of the complaint is a case involving a donor, reportedly linked to 53 individual donations amounting to $595 made using the ActBlue portal. These donations were attributed to a 73-year-old Texas resident, Randy Bes. However, Bes’s spouse reportedly denied knowledge of these transactions. This has led to further suspicion regarding the legitimacy of such donations, possibly mirroring a pattern seen amongst other contributions.
“Rep. Crockett, through her principal campaign committee Respondent Jasmine for U.S., has received thousands of other donations through ActBlue totaling over $870,000,” the complaint filed with the FEC states, before continuing: “It is unclear how many of these are similarly fraudulent transactions, made in the name of unsuspecting innocent people who did not actually provide the funds.”