Fundraising Frenzy: Trump's Target on Democratic ActBlue
Democract Party's Digital Fundraising Platforms Under Fire by Trump
In a bold move, President Trump has set his sights on the online fundraising platforms that fuel most Democratic political campaigns - specifically, ActBlue, the Democratic Party's primary grassroots fundraising tool. In an unexpected executive order, the Trump administration has initiated an investigation into ActBlue, with the aim of rooting out any signs of malfeasance.
Thursday's executive order, which was published on the White House website, casts a spotlight on the possibility of "foreign nationals" using fundraising sites like ActBlue to sneakily influence American elections. The order empowers the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to scrutinize such sites for suspicious activities. The order alleges:
...the media and congressional investigations have unveiled alarming evidence that online fundraising platforms have been complicit in schemes to launder excessive and banned contributions to political candidates and committees.
The order continues, raising concerns that mischievous actors might be evading Federal contribution source and amount limits by splitting large contributions among numerous, supposed individual donors, without their knowledge or consent. Moreover, these "straw donations" could be made through phony accounts, possibly utilizing gift cards or prepaid credit cards to evade detection.
The order authorizes Bondi and Bessant to use all legal means to investigate the fundraising tools for telltale signs of foreign interference. Gizmodo reached out to the Trump administration for further details.
Interestingly, the order references a prior investigation by House Republicans into ActBlue, which supposedly stumbled upon evidence of foreign-funded fraud on the platform.
A few key points are worth noting:
- Straw Donations and Foreign Contributions: Prior inquiries by congressional Republicans have suggested that ActBlue has been utilized for both "straw donations" (splitting up large contributions among various supposed donors without their consent or knowledge) and foreign contributions. This includes the detection of at least 22 significant fraud campaigns, with almost half showing a foreign connection[1][3].
- Weak Fraud Prevention: Before recent updates, ActBlue failed to require a card verification value (CVV), which made it simpler for these fraudulent activities to transpire. The platform has been criticized for prioritizing donations over strong fraud prevention measures[1][4].
While Republicans have their own online fundraising operation (WinRed), launched during the first term of President Trump, it has yet to achieve the same level of success as its Democratic counterpart, ActBlue, often facing criticism from Republicans themselves[2].
A Closer Look at WinRed
WinRed serves as the primary online fundraising platform used by Republicans, mirroring ActBlue's role for Democrats. It was developed to streamline the donation process for Republican candidates and committees. Although WinRed has not been subject to the same level of scrutiny regarding malfeasance as ActBlue, it remains a crucial tool for Republican fundraising.
As the investigation into ActBlue continues, any perceived shortcomings or public trust issues affecting ActBlue could benefit WinRed. However, it's essential for both platforms to maintain robust fraud prevention measures to preserve the integrity of the political fundraising process.
- Under the Trump administration's executive order, ActBlue, the main Democratic fundraising platform, is under investigation for potential malfeasance, specifically for Complicit involvement in schemes to launder contributions to political candidates.
- The investigation into ActBlue comes with allegations of suspicious activities such as evading Federal contribution source and amount limits, using straw donations and phony accounts, possibly through gift cards or prepaid credit cards.
- Previous inquiries by House Republicans have pointed to ActBlue's use in straw donations and foreign contributions, with at least 22 significant fraud campaigns detectable, almost half showing a foreign connection.
- Prior to recent updates, ActBlue was criticized for failing to require a Card Verification Value (CVV), making fraudulent activities easier to carry out.
- Republicans have their own online fundraising operation, WinRed, which faces criticism for prioritizing donations over strong fraud prevention measures, but has yet to achieve the same level of success as ActBlue.
- As the investigation into ActBlue continues, any public trust issues affecting it could potentially benefit WinRed. However, it's crucial for both fundraising platforms, ActBlue and WinRed, to maintain robust fraud prevention measures and uphold the integrity of the political fundraising process.
