Trump Launches Attack on Democrats' Digital Fundraising Operations
Rewritten Article:
In a move that's causing waves, President Trump has set his sights on Democrats' political campaign war chests by aiming to crack down on the online fundraising platforms fueling a majority of their political campaigns. Kicking off the crusade with an executive order, the Trump administration has launched an inquiry into ActBlue, the Democratic Party's go-to grassroots fundraising powerhouse.
Published on the White House website on Thursday, the executive order raises suspicions that "foreign nationals" might be covertly making contributions to American elections via platforms like ActBlue. The order empowers the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to dive into these sites in search of signs of misconduct. It reads:
...press reports and congressional investigations have unearthed troubling evidence that online fundraising platforms, including ActBlue, have willingly participated in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.
The order continues:
This probe aims to scrutinize such platforms for evidence of wrongdoing. Specifically, it raises concerns that malign actors are exploiting these platforms to bypass federal limits on political contributions by funneling their money through multiple smaller contributions, falsely attributed to numerous individuals without their knowledge or consent. The reports also suggest that such "straw donations" are being made through "dummy" accounts, possibly using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to elude detection.
The order grants Bondi and Bessant the authority to use whatever legal means necessary to investigate these fundraising tools for indications of foreign influence. Gizmodo reached out to the Trump administration for more details.
Notably, the order also references a House Republicans' earlier investigation into ActBlue that allegedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
Interestingly, Republicans have their own fundraising operation, WinRed, which was established during Trump's first term of office in 2019. It serves as a for-profit fundraising tool and a means for the Republican party to counter Democrats' ActBlue. The Trump administration reportedly encouraged Republicans to embrace WinRed, yet it's fallen short of ActBlue's success and has been criticised by Republicans themselves for questionable tactics used to encourage donations. On multiple occasions, WinRed has faced investigations by state attorneys general for its fundraising techniques.
Enrichment Data:The Trump administration has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to scrutinize ActBlue, a Democratic-aligned online fundraising platform, amidst claims of easing the way for illegal "straw donor" contributions and unauthorized foreign contributions[2][3][4]. The April 24, 2025, presidential memorandum refers to congressional investigations and media reports indicating that:
- Red Flags: ActBlue has identified at least 22 "potentially fraudulent campaigns" in recent years, with nearly half displaying connections to foreign entities[1][3].
- Suspicious Donations: During a single month in the 2024 election cycle, ActBlue picked up 237 donations originating from foreign IP addresses, which violate U.S. law[1][2][3].
- The Trump administration, in a controversial move, has issued an executive order targeting ActBlue, a significant online fundraising platform for the Democrats, citing concerns about potential illegal "straw donor" contributions and unauthorized foreign contributions.
- The order empowers Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant to delve into platforms like ActBlue, searching for signs of misconduct, given reports and investigations suggesting that these platforms may have been involved in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions.
- One of the concerns raised is that malign actors might be exploiting these platforms to bypass federal limits on political contributions by funneling their money through multiple smaller contributions, falsely attributed to numerous individuals without their knowledge or consent.
- Straw donations, it is suggested, are being made through "dummy" accounts, possibly using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to evade detection.
- The order also references a House Republicans' previous investigation into ActBlue that allegedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
- Interestingly, Republicans have their own fundraising operation, WinRed, which has faced criticisms for questionable tactics used to encourage donations and has been investigated by state attorneys general for its fundraising techniques.
