Congresswoman Sounds Alarm On Fundraising Platform Under Scrutiny for Raking In Millions With Thousands Of Tiny Donations
By Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal | December 17, 2024
How did fewer than two dozen people give almost $1 million through controversial Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue with political donations as small as $5?
Federal Election Commission records show that in recent elections, some elderly Americans made thousands of small donations to Democrat fundraising political committees through ActBlue—which currently is under congressional investigation for alleged foreign money laundering.
“Recent FEC filings revealing thousands of small donations from elderly Americans to Democratic campaigns are deeply troubling, though not surprising, given ActBlue’s questionable security practices,” Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, told The Daily Signal. “ActBlue’s failure to implement basic security measures raises serious concerns about potentially fraudulent activity and money laundering.”
Security shortcomings at ActBlue could pave the way for foreign actors to interfere in American elections, Tenney said.
“Foreign actors can exploit these vulnerabilities by creating fake accounts and making substantial donations without the account holders’ knowledge, interfering in our elections,” the New York Republican said.
According to FEC records, 21 individuals donated almost $2 million to Democrat PACs, campaigns, and causes between 2016 and 2024.
One donor made 22,473 political contributions through ActBlue totaling $134,530. Her average donation amount was only $6.71.
Another woman made 3,460 contributions through ActBlue totaling $20,614 between 2016 and 2024, according to FEC filings. Her average donation through ActBlue was $5.96; the most she gave at one time was $225.
The 74-year-old woman donated nearly another $11,000 to Biden for President, Harris for President, Hillary for America, and other Democrat fundraising political action committees. These include committees dedicated to raising funds for Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., neither of whom represents the woman’s home state.
Between the woman’s donations made through ActBlue and those made directly to other Democrat fundraising committees, she made 5,025 donations averaging $6.27.
Individuals may have made numerous donations through ActBlue without their consent or knowledge that their names, addresses, and money were being used for these donations, Tenney said.
“The FEC must thoroughly investigate these claims and protect the integrity of our elections,” Tenney told The Daily Signal.
ActBlue didn’t respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
ActBlue came under fire Oct. 29 because of its donor-verification policies. In a letter that day to ActBlue, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said foreign actors from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, could use the platform to launder illicit money for use in U.S. political campaigns.
The Democrat fundraising platform admitted in 2023 to Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, that it didn’t require contributors to use a card verification value, or CVV, to donate on its website with a credit card. Security codes are meant to ensure that the person making a purchase physically possesses the credit card.
A conservative watchdog group called the Fair Election Fund says it has found more than 60,000 potential discrepancies in campaign donations to President Joe Biden and later to Vice President Kamala Harris through ActBlue.
One 75-year-old woman made a total of 6,470 donations through ActBlue to Democrat committees and candidates between 2022 and 2024.
Her average donation through ActBlue was $5.79, her biggest was $1,000. Most of her donations were as low as $5, $10, $25, and $50. She donated $37,446 total through ActBlue, records show.
Elizabeth (Troutman) Mitchell is the reporting fellow for The Daily Signal and co-host of "The Daily Signal Podcast.
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