PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump is looking to crack down on foreign donations to American elections, which could affect a major Democrat fundraising platform.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Democratic Party, and ActBlue.
📍 Where & When: President Trump is expected to sign a memorandum this week.
💬 Key Quote: “[D]espite repeated instances of fraudulent donations to Democrat campaigns and causes from domestic and foreign sources, ActBlue is not demonstrating a serious effort to deter fraud on its platform.” — House Oversight and Administration Committees staff report.
⚠️ Impact: The crackdown could significantly impede one of the Democrats’ most influential fundraising platforms.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump is set to crack down on the notorious Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue. The America First leader is expected to sign a memorandum on Thursday, April 24, targeting foreign contributions to American elections. Many have claimed that foreigners could exploit ActBlue for such purposes.
A senior White House official disclosed that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be tasked with investigating whether ActBlue facilitated contributions via “dummy” accounts or allowed foreign nationals to donate to Democratic entities.
Until recently, ActBlue did not mandate card verification value (CVV) numbers for financial transactions, and allegations arose about internal directives encouraging ActBlue employees to be “more lenient” in accepting contributions. Between September and October 2024 alone, at least 237 overseas transactions reportedly involving prepaid cards were identified as suspicious by Republicans.
“[D]espite repeated instances of fraudulent donations to Democrat campaigns and causes from domestic and foreign sources, ActBlue is not demonstrating a serious effort to deter fraud on its platform,” contends a House Oversight Committee and Administration Committee staff report on the issue.
U.S. federal law bans any foreign nationals and governments from contributing to federal, state, or local election campaigns. Still, a lack of vetting means foreign donor restrictions can be circumvented.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched his own investigation into ActBlue in December 2023. He alleges that the platform is being exploited to make straw donations using prepaid cards. Paxton has claimed there is evidence that people have used false identities and untraceable payment methods.
In December last year, a Wisconsin court approved a subpoena directed at ActBlue. This came after a GOP consultant claimed someone was using his identity to give money to the platform.
Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.