Democrats' Online Fundraising Platforms Under Attack by Trump
Here's the revised article:
President Trump has fired a political salvo, aiming at the digital war chest of Democrats. In a bold move, Trump's administration has launched an investigation into ActBlue, the Dems' primary online fundraising weapon. This announcement, made through an executive order on Thursday, stirs up concerns about foreign meddling in American elections.
The executive order, publicly available on the White House site, suggests that foreign nationals could leverage fundraising sites like ActBlue to influence U.S. elections. The order empowers the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to delve into such sites seeking evidence of misconduct. It reads:
Irregularities in online fundraising platforms have raised eyebrows regarding their involvement in laundering excessive and forbidden contributions to political candidates. Reports indicate that these platforms might collude in allowing malign actors to bypass Federal contribution limits and detection systems by breaking donations into multiple smaller contributions, attributed to various unknowing persons, without their consent. Additionally, the reports hint at the use of "dummy" accounts and prepaid credit cards to conceal foreign contributions.
The order permits Bondi and Bessant to employ "all lawful ways" to scrutinize these fundraising tools for signs of foreign manipulation. Gizmodo reached out to the Trump administration for further insights.
Interestingly, the order points to a previous probe by House Republicans that reportedly uncovered foreign-based fraud on ActBlue.
Notably, the Republican camp also boasts their own fundraising arsenal, WinRed, launched during Trump's first term in 2019. WinRed functions as a for-profit fundraising platform to rival Democrats' ActBlue. Despite the Trump administration's repeated calls to action, WinRed has struggled to match its Democratic counterpart's success. The platform has faced backlash from Republicans themselves due to its fundraising tactics. WinRed has previously been scrutinized by several state attorneys general over its fundraising strategies.
Enrichment Data
Current Status:
- Presidential Memorandum: Trump has ordered the investigation into allegations that ActBlue may have facilitated illegal contributions using online platforms[1][2][3].
- Allegations: The inquiry focuses on claims of "straw donors" (donors in others' names) and foreign contributions concealed by using prepaid cards and potential other methods to avoid detection[1][2].
- ActBlue's Response: ActBlue has criticized the investigation, labeling it as part of a broader political attack by the Trump administration[3][4].
Evidence Found So Far:
- Foreign Donations: ActBlue identified hundreds of suspicious foreign donations from IP addresses utilizing prepaid cards during a 30-day period in the 2024 election cycle[1][3].
- Fraud Schemes: A House investigation revealed at least 22 significant fraudulent campaigns on ActBlue, with nearly half appearing to have overseas connections[1].
- Impact of Investigation: Despite the controversy, the investigation announcement prompted a significant spike in donations to ActBlue, marking one of its most successful fundraising days of the year[4].
As this investigation unfolds, political tensions intensify. No definitive findings have been reported yet, but the implications are far-reaching.
- The executive order by President Trump targets ActBlue, a primary online fundraising tool for Democrats, citing concerns about foreign meddling in American elections.
- The order empowers Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant to investigate digital fundraising platforms like ActBlue for evidence of misconduct.
- Gizmodo reports that the White House investigation is based on allegations of foreign-based fraud on ActBlue, which were previously uncovered during a House Republicans' probe.
- The Trump administration's investigation comes as Democrats are using ActBlue to secure funding for the 2024 election, while Republicans have their own fundraising platform, WinRed.
- WinRed, launched during Trump's first term in 2019, has faced backlash from within the Republican camp over its fundraising tactics, despite attempts to rival Democrats' ActBlue.
- The impact of the investigation has been significant, prompting a surge in donations to ActBlue, marking one of its most successful fundraising days of the year.
