Republican Rep. Brian Steele of Wisconsin on Wednesday called on five states to open investigations into “potential criminal activity” by ActBlue, a popular Democratic fundraising platform.
Steele, chairman of the House Administration Committee, said five character The letters were addressed to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. Based on the committee's findings, the attorneys general asked them to investigate ActBlue donations in their states, as the organization was allegedly illegally using people's personal information to funnel funds to election campaigns.
“As Chairman of the House Administration Committee, I am writing to ask you to consider the findings of an investigation conducted by my committee's legal team,” Steele said in the letter. “This investigation focuses on the potential illegal exploitation of unknown identities, or 'dummy donors,' to funnel illegal funds to election campaigns in your state.”
Committee expansion The first investigation into ActBlue donations was launched in August and, according to Steele's letter to the attorney general, involved an “extensive data analysis” of more than 200 million FEC records relating to ActBlue from the past 14 years. (Related: Republican leader calls on Democrats' ActBlue to stop processing donations to Hamas supporters following DCNF report)
The committee's investigation came after a whistleblower reported discrepancies in donor records, alleging that the fundraising platform engaged in “money laundering” and received “illegal” donations from “questionable” donors. The investigation noted that the donations ActBlue received were “grossly disproportionate to individuals' net worth and past donation history,” and also noted “unusually frequent donations” from first-time donors and seniors.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 9: Exterior of the United States Capitol Building on September 9, 2024 in Washington, DC.
“The Committee's investigation included consultations with federal agencies, including the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as well as experts in money laundering, credit card fraud and terrorist financing,” the letter read. “Perhaps most significant to our investigation is the whistleblower who reported anomalies in the FEC's donor records.”
“The final analysis produced a set of anomalous donor profiles ranked according to the severity of the inconsistencies,” Steil said. “After reviewing this analysis, it became apparent that suspicious activity had occurred that required further investigation.”
Attorney General Miyares also launched an investigation into the fundraising platform last month, after the Virginia Attorney General alleged that many of ActBlue's donors in his state were engaged in “fraudulent transactions” and “deceptive” activities.
ActBlue and the House Administration Committee office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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