Democrats' Digital Fundraising Hubs Under Attack by Trump Camp
The Lowdown on Trump's Crackdown on Dem Fundraising Sites
Avast! President Trump's taken a bee-line for the online fundraising platforms that fuel most Democrats' political campaigns. In a bold move, Trump's administration has initiated an investigation on ActBlue, a cornerstone of the Democratic Party's grassroots fundraising strategy.
The exec order unfurled on Thursday on the White House website, raises a ruckus claiming that "foreign nationals" could be milking fundraising sites like ActBlue to bankroll American electoral endeavors. This comprises the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, with the power to probe such sites for evidence of wrongdoing. The order grouses:
...press reports and congressional probes have sparked some quite disturbing intel that online fundraising platforms have played along as participants in fraud schemes to slip prohibited contributions into political candids' and committees' coffers.
Y'all should observe that Republicans have their own fundraising express train that chugged off during Trump's first reign. WinRed emerged in 2019 as a "for-profit" fundraising ride-along, giving the GOP a chance to ride shotgun with Dems' ActBlue. The Trump administration's actively promoted the tool, whichsure as shootin' hasn't quite matched its Democratic counterpart's success, and has faced nasty criticism from the GOP themselves. WinRed's often been slammed for the pitchy tactics it's used to scrounge funds.
But, let's circle back to the elephant in the room: the War on ActBlue.
The order also references a previous probe by House Republicans into ActBlue, which supposedly sniffed out evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
History shows that investigations and reports in 2024 and 2025 unearthed troubling evidence that some online fundraising platforms, including ActBlue, were slyly orchestrating vote-buying by breaking down large sums from a single source into smaller donations attributed to various individuals, often without their knowledge or consent. This is more famously known as "straw donating" or "dummy" contributions.
Furthermore, a House of Representatives investigation found that ActBlue had discovered at least 22 substantial fraud campaigns, almost half of which bore a foreign connection. In a 30-day period in the 2024 campaign cycle, a gargantuan 237 donations through ActBlue originated from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards. These facts indicate that the platform remains exposed, leaving it vulnerable to illicit foreign contributions.
To wrap up, the investigation into ActBlue revolves around suspicions of straw donor schemes and foreign contributions exploiting platform loopholes, culminating in a presidential directive and congressional scrutiny aimed at safeguarding election integrity. The findings and ongoing investigations could influence future campaign finance laws, enforcement practices, and faith in digital political fundraising.
- Gizmodo reports on the investigation launched by President Trump's administration targeting ActBlue, a significant fundraising platform for Democrats.
- The executive order, announced on Thursday, alleges that foreign nationals might be using technology like ActBlue to fund American political campaigns, thereby evading policy-and-legislation.
- In the past, Republicans have also relied on online fundraising platforms, such as WinRed, for their political campaigns, but it has faced criticism for its fundraising tactics.
- Previous investigations in 2024 and 2025 discovered examples of straw donor schemes and foreign connections on ActBlue, including 237 donations from foreign IP addresses in a single month.
- The future of digital political fundraising could be affected by these findings and ongoing investigations, potentially leading to changes in campaign finance laws and enforcement practices.
- The Republican Party, through the House of Representatives, has previously cited concerns about malign activities on ActBlue, citing it as a threat to election integrity in the realm of general-news and technology.
