Democratic Online Fundraising Ventures Face Criticism from Trump
Rewritten Article:
Donald Trump, the current president, has unleashed an investigation on the main online fundraising tools powering most Democratic political campaigns. Following an executive order on Thursday, the Trump administration is probing ActBlue, the primary fundraising platform for the Democratic Party.
The published executive order, now available on the White House website, accuses fundraising platforms like ActBlue of allowing foreign nationals to illegally contribute to American elections. The order empowers the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to dig for evidence of wrongdoing. It contends:
Investigative reports and congressional inquiries have unearthed extremely worrying evidence that online fundraising platforms have willingly participated in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.
The order continues:
These reports raise concerns that malign actors are exploiting these platforms by breaking down large donations from a single source into numerous smaller donations, falsely attributed to multiple individuals, potentially without their knowledge or consent. The reports also hint at "straw donations" being made through "dummy" accounts, possibly with the aid of gift cards or prepaid credit cards, to evade detection.
The order authorizes Bondi and Bessant to employ all legal means necessary to investigate these fundraising tools for signs of foreign influence. Gizmodo reached out to the Trump administration for further details.
This investigation has previously been triggered by House Republicans' probe into ActBlue, which supposedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
It's worth noting that Republicans also operate their own fundraising endeavor established during Trump's earlier administration. WinRed, launched in 2019, operates as a for-profit platform, aiming to rival the Democrats' ActBlue. The Trump administration actively encouraged Republicans to utilize the platform, which, unlike its Democratic counterpart, has not enjoyed comparable success and has consistently faced criticism from Republicans themselves. WinRed has previously been investigated by several state attorneys general for its tactics to solicit donations.
Enrichment Data:The current probe into ActBlue revolves around allegations of illegal "straw donor" schemes and foreign contributions. ActBlue has played a crucial role in Democratic fundraising, making it a key focus in concerns about election integrity.
Investigation Details and Findings
- A Presidential Memorandum was issued by President Donald J. Trump on April 24, 2025, directing the Attorney General to scrutinize allegations that online fundraising platforms like ActBlue have facilitated the laundering of excessive and unlawful contributions. [1][2]
- Federal law strictly prohibits political contributions made in someone else's name ("straw donors") and foreign nationals' contributions (52 U.S.C. 30121 and 30122). However, investigative reports and congressional inquiries suggest that malevolent actors are abusing these platforms by splitting large contributions into smaller amounts, attributing them to various individuals without their knowledge or consent, and utilizing dummy accounts funded by prepaid or gift cards to evade detection. [1]
- A House of Representatives investigation discovered that ActBlue detected at least 22 significant fraudulent campaigns in recent years, nearly half of which were linked to foreign actors. In a 30-day period during the 2024 election cycle alone, ActBlue identified 237 donations originating from foreign IP addresses utilizing prepaid cards, a clear violation of U.S. election law. [1][2]
- The memorandum ordered the aggressive investigation and appropriate legal action to address these schemes and safeguard the integrity of American elections. [2]
Historical Context and Platform Role
- ActBlue has been instrumental for the Democratic fundraising since its inception, offering a user-friendly platform for small-dollar donations, which has become essential for campaign finance in the U.S. Despite its success, it has made ActBlue an attractive target for foreign malign actors seeking covert influence on U.S. elections. [1]
- Investigations into foreign meddling in U.S. elections have intensified since the 2016 presidential election, and this current probe is a continuation and expansion of efforts to examine financial channels for illegal contributions. [1]
Implications for U.S. Political Campaigns
- The exposure of these schemes damages public trust in the fairness and security of the U.S. electoral process. It exposes vulnerabilities in existing fundraising technologies, requiring tighter oversight and enforcement. [2]
- This investigation signifies a strengthened government resolve to combat illegal campaign finance practices—especially those involving foreign interference aimed at swaying U.S. elections unlawfully. [2]
- Politically, the issue has become a divisive one. Supporters argue it's necessary to restore trust and secure elections, while critics perceive it as politically motivated targeting of a platform vital to Democratic fundraising efforts. [3]
- As the investigation unfolds, campaign fundraising platforms like ActBlue are likely to face heightened scrutiny and pressure to develop more robust fraud detection and prevention mechanisms to block illegal foreign contributions and straw donor schemes. [1][2]
In essence, the investigation into ActBlue's role in unlawful foreign and straw-donor contributions highlights numerous challenges to the integrity of U.S. political financing. It underscores the ongoing battle against covert foreign influence and fraudulent donation practices that undermine the democratic process in American elections. [1][2]
- The Trump administration's investigation into ActBlue, the primary Democratic fundraising platform, focuses on allegations of illegal "straw donor" schemes and foreign contributions.
- President Donald J. Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum on April 24, 2025, directing the Attorney General to scrutinize ActBlue and other online fundraising platforms for facilitating the laundering of excessive and unlawful contributions.
- Investigative reports and congressional inquiries suggest that malevolent actors are abusing these platforms by splitting large contributions into smaller amounts, falsely attributing them to various individuals, and utilizing dummy accounts funded by prepaid or gift cards to evade detection.
- The Republican party also operates a similar fundraising platform, WinRed, which has faced criticism for its tactics to solicit donations. Unlike ActBlue, WinRed has not enjoyed comparable success.
- The findings of this investigation could have significant implications for the U.S. political campaigns, requiring tighter oversight and enforcement to protect the integrity of American elections.
- The investigation has sparked a political divide, with supporters arguing it's necessary to restore trust and secure elections, while critics perceive it as politically motivated targeting of a platform vital to Democratic fundraising efforts. Tech, politics, policy-and-legislation, future, fundraising, general-news, Republicans, cites, malign, evade, scandal, politics, fundraising tools, legislation, technology, Trump, Democrats, ActBlue, foreign, election, investigation, policy.
