Staff Reports
A House Republican has set the stage for a major showdown with the Democratic Party by demanding a comprehensive investigation into ActBlue, the party’s fundraising juggernaut, which has raked in over $16 billion since its inception in 2004. Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona has taken pen to paper, urging FBI Director Kash Patel to dig into the online donation platform that many feel has sidestepped the spirit of federal campaign finance laws with all the grace of a ballerina on roller skates.
Biggs’ letter highlights troubling revelations from President Biden’s Treasury Department indicating a slew of suspicious transactions linked to ActBlue, which have been identified by keen-eyed banks. He expressed exasperation that the previous administration seemed to be dragging its feet on this pressing issue, stalling access to critical documents needed for a thorough investigation. Meanwhile, Oversight Chairman James Comer and Administration Chairman Stiles are back at the drawing board, re-upping their requests to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. One can only wonder if the documents are tied up in a maze of bureaucratic red tape or hidden in a vault.
Among the weighty allegations are accusations that ActBlue has been a front for foreign donations, with whispers of straw-man donations flowing in from nations that are hardly on the GOP’s holiday card list, including China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. It’s enough to make anyone wonder whether donations are being funneled in via carrier pigeons as well. This is not merely a shadowy conspiracy; the reality is that ActBlue’s lax security has raised eyebrows, especially considering previous reports that pointed to fraudulent donations being processed unchecked until just last September.
GOP lawmaker requests FBI inquiry into Dem fundraising apparatus ActBluehttps://t.co/5WFNJmRr9N pic.twitter.com/aC0JTWErJA
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 14, 2025
The Democratic fundraising platform, rather late to the party, finally claimed to have tightened its security measures, but only after a sharp wake-up call last December. At that time, House lawmakers were informed that ActBlue had only then started rejecting high-risk gift card donations, particularly those coming from foreign sources. It was a classic case of closing the barn door after the horse had bolted, leaving many to ponder what kind of cybersecurity strategy has been operating over there.
Adding insult to injury, it turns out that ActBlue had previously accepted credit card donations without requiring a CVV code—a digital equivalent of leaving the front door wide open while hosting a BBQ. This prompted Rep. Bryan Steil, the House Administration Committee chairman, to point out that while ActBlue’s new precautions are a step in the right direction, there’s still ample room for improvement. He shared that these dubious payment methods continued to be accepted even as Democrats were cashing in on record-breaking campaign contributions, like it was a Black Friday sale at the local electronics store.
ActBlue has jumped to its own defense, claiming it has bolstered its internal protocols to prevent foreign donors from wreaking havoc, stating that all foreign donations must now come with a U.S. passport number for good measure. However, the question lingers: is this enough to shore up the integrity of the campaign finance system against the looming specter of foreign interference? House Republicans leading the inquiry are not so easily assuaged, suggesting that the previous levels of security left the establishment wide open to illegal contributions. It remains to be seen whether this investigation will uncover the tangled web of concern surrounding ActBlue, but one thing is certain: the stakes have never been higher in the political fundraising arena.
