Democrats' Digital Fundraising Operations Face Scrutiny from Trump Administration
Fresh Take:
Here's the lowdown on the latest political move from President Trump. The big man's after the online fundraising platforms that keep Democrat parties rolling. In an executive order on Thursday, the Trump administration launched an investigation into ActBlue, the Democrats' go-to grassroots funding tool.
The executive order claims that foreign nationals could be using those fundraising sites to meddle in American elections. The order gives Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant the green light to dig for evidence of wrongdoing. According to the order, there's troubling evidence that online fundraising platforms have been part of schemes to bypass rules on campaign contributions.
The order points to reports that suggested these platforms are helping to launder prohibited contributions, breaking down big donations into smaller ones, and using fake accounts to do so. It's claimed that such "straw donations" are often made through "dummy" accounts, possibly using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to stay under the radar.
The order empowers Bondi and Bessant to investigate these platforms for signs of foreign influence. We reached out to the Trump administration for more details but haven't heard back just yet.
Interestingly, the order references a previous probe into ActBlue by House Republicans that purportedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
It's worth mentioning that the Republicans have their own fundraising operation, WinRed, which surfaced during Trump's first term. Launched in 2019, WinRed is a for-profit fundraising tool meant to level the playing field with Democrats' ActBlue. However, WinRed hasn't quite hit the mark compared to its Democratic counterpart and has faced criticism even from within the Republican party. The platform has been scrutinized by several state attorneys general for its donation tactics[1][2].
This development marks another twist in the ongoing tussle between the Democratic and Republican parties over online fundraising and election integrity[3].
Insights:
The investigation by the Trump administration into ActBlue surrounding potential foreign influence in American elections was prompted by congressional investigations revealing that hundreds of donations to ActBlue came from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards during a 30-day period in the 2024 election cycle, which is illegal under U.S. law[1][2]. Furthermore, the House Administration, Judiciary, and Oversight Committees have shared their findings about ActBlue with the U.S. Attorney General regarding these alleged activities[4]. The Trump administration and aligned congressional Republicans are in contrast to the Democrats, who have accused GOP-associated platforms like WinRed of similar issues[3].
- The Trump administration's investigation into ActBlue, a Democratic grassroots funding tool, has been triggered by claims of foreign influence in American elections, notably through the use of prepaid cards by foreign IP addresses.
- The executive order on the investigation also references possible launderings of prohibited contributions and the use of "straw donations" via "dummy" accounts to bypass rules on campaign contributions.
- In the ensuing political landscape, questions about technology policy-and-legislation, politics, and general news revolve around the future role of online fundraising platforms like ActBlue and their potential impact on election integrity, as well as the performance and scrutiny of platforms like WinRed in the Republican party.
