Democrats' Digital Fundraising Platforms Under Fire from Trump
Revised Article:
In an unexpected move, President Trump has set his sights on disrupting the Democratic Party's digital fundraising empire. On a thunderous Thursday, Trump signed an Executive Order to delve deep into ActBlue, the Democratic Party's primary online fundraising powerhouse.
This ** Executive Order**, publicly displayed on the White House website, levies accusations of foreign nationals sneakily using fundraising platforms like ActBlue to meddle in American elections. The Order grants the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, the green light to vigorously probe such sites for any signs of foul play. It boldly states:
...rumors swirling around and investigations from congressional committees paint a vision that online fundraising platforms are more than happy to be part of a scheme to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.
The Order doesn't stop there:
Specifically, these rumors hint at malicious actors looking to dodge Federal contribution restrictions by splitting large contributions into numerous smaller ones, thereby escaping detection. The rumors also raise suspicions that such "straw donations" are being made through phony accounts, potentially using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to fly under the radar.
The Order permits Bondi and Bessant to employ "all lawful means necessary" to delve into the fundraising tools for evidence of foreign influence. We reached out to the Trump administration for additional insights.
The Order also references a prior investigation by House Republicans into ActBlue, which apparently uncovered foreign-based fraud on the platform.
It is noteworthy that Republicans have their counterparts in the broader fundraising field. WinRed, launched during Trump's first term, is a "for-profit" fundraising tool and the GOP's response to ActBlue. Despite the Trump administration's fervent lobbying for Republicans to adopt the tool, WinRed has consistently struggled to keep pace with ActBlue and has even faced criticism from its own Republican ranks. Notably, the platform has come under scrutiny from several state attorneys general for its questionable tactics to stimulate donations.
Insights:
- The investigation into ActBlue's online fundraising practices, as prompted by a recent presidential memorandum, remains active.
- The investigation centers on allegations of "straw donor" and foreign contributions through online fundraising platforms, mainly targeting ActBlue.
- Concerns center around using ActBlue to facilitate improper political contributions, including those from foreign sources. Evidence suggests that ActBlue has thwarted at least 22 "significant fraud campaigns," with nearly half having a foreign connection.
- ActBlue officials have actively cooperated with investigations and have implemented measures to prevent fraudulent donations, such as banning foreign IP address contributions using prepaid cards.
- Ongoing criticism and concerns have been raised about the independence of the Department of Justice in conducting this investigation given its political nature.
- Congressional committees continue to monitor ActBlue's practices, seeking more information on how the platform prevents illicit funding.
- The Executive Order signed by President Trump, available on the White House website, directs the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to investigate online fundraising platforms like ActBlue for potential illegal activities in elections.
- The investigation, prompted by the Executive Order, focuses on accusations of platform misuse, including facilitating "straw donor" contributions and foreign influence in political campaigns, particularly ActBlue.
- Reports and congressional investigations suggest ActBlue has blocked at least 22 significant fraud campaigns, with nearly half of them revealing foreign connections.
- ActBlue officials have voluntarily cooperated with the investigations and have introduced measures to block foreign IP address contributions using prepaid cards to prevent fraudulent donations.
- The Republican counterpart to ActBlue, WinRed, has faced scrutiny for questionable tactics to encourage donations from its own party andcriticism from state attorneys general.
- The Department of Justice's investigation into ActBlue's practices has received ongoing attention from congressional committees seeking more detailed information about the platform's strategies for preventing illicit funding in the realm of policy-and-legislation, general-news, crime-and-justice, technology, and politics.
