The Committee on House Administration issued a subpoena on Wednesday to ActBlue, a leading Democratic fundraising platform.
ActBlue has become a major resource for Democratic candidates, raising unprecedented sums, including large donations for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
However, concerns have mounted over ActBlue’s verification protocols and the platform’s susceptibility to foreign actors seeking to exploit its loose safeguards to funnel illicit funds into U.S. campaigns.
This subpoena is part of an ongoing investigation by the committee into ActBlue’s security and donor verification policies, which Republicans argue may be inadequate for protecting the U.S. election process.
According to the committee’s statement, there is an urgent need for measures to prevent foreign money laundering through American political donations.
Rep. Bryan Steil, Chair of the Committee, expressed particular concern that ActBlue’s apparent oversight might have made it a target for “foreign actors,” who, he warns, may see the platform’s gaps in security as an easy route to influence U.S. elections.
“We cannot allow foreign actors to influence our elections through campaign financing,” Steil said in a press release on the subpoena.
He highlighted that the investigation revealed potential vulnerabilities in ActBlue’s system, and emphasized that strengthening these policies is essential to safeguard the nation’s democratic processes.
Steil has called for ActBlue to turn over documents and communications related to its donor security and verification policies by November 6, 2023.
The committee’s concerns echo recent comments from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who last week condemned ActBlue’s alleged failure to curb “straw donors,” a term for individuals who make contributions using someone else’s funds to avoid disclosure requirements.
Paxton’s concerns add another layer of scrutiny to the platform, which has already faced criticism from Republicans for accepting donations without stringent verification measures, such as credit card verification value (CVV) checks.
These security gaps prompted Steil to introduce legislation in September calling for heightened donor verification standards.
The legislation passed through the House by a voice vote, although ActBlue had preemptively agreed to implement CVV collection earlier in August.
The timing of this subpoena is notable, coming after a series of exchanges between Steil and ActBlue, which began in October 2023.
These letters reveal a dialogue aimed at addressing verification practices but ultimately underscore the committee’s frustration with ActBlue’s responses and willingness to self-regulate.
So far, ActBlue has not commented on the subpoena.
