JUST IN: Democrats Admit To Breaking Law During 2024 Election After Major Investigation

ActBlue, the prominent Democratic fundraising platform, admitted to Congress that it did not block donations made with foreign-bought gift cards until September 2024. This revelation has prompted heightened scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over election integrity.

The admission comes as part of an ongoing investigation by the House Administration Committee, chaired by Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI), into whether foreign actors, including China, Russia, Iran, or Venezuela, could have exploited the platform to funnel illicit money into campaigns for Democratic candidates.

On Tuesday, Steil revealed that ActBlue had turned over documents under the subpoena detailing a policy change in September. The platform, which facilitates millions of dollars in contributions to Democratic candidates and liberal causes, only began implementing stricter verification protocols to block foreign-purchased gift cards this fall.

“While this is a positive step forward, there is still more work to be done to ensure our campaign finance system is fully protected from fraud and unlawful foreign interference,” Steil said to Just the News. “The documents provided to the Committee also confirm that ActBlue still accepted these concerning payment methods in July, a period when Democrats raised a record number of campaign money before implementing these safeguards.”

Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), seized on the findings as evidence of a broader lack of accountability in Democratic fundraising efforts. Johnson addressed the issue publicly, writing on social media platform X: “BREAKING: ActBlue was accepting foreign gift cards until September. This is ILLEGAL. The @HouseAdmin Committee will continue this important investigation into ActBlue next Congress. Our work here is just getting started.”

BREAKING: ActBlue was accepting foreign gift cards until September.

This is ILLEGAL.

The @HouseAdmin Committee will continue this important investigation into ActBlue next Congress.

Our work here is just getting started. https://t.co/ffDc5I7j4H

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 11, 2024

The documents provided showed that as of September 2024, ActBlue has put into effect new policies which “automatically reject donations that use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined” by their solution provider, Sift.

Top House Republicans are demanding answers from fraud detection company Sift regarding its work with ActBlue following concerns over potentially fraudulent foreign donations. In October 2023, reports emerged that ActBlue was accepting donations without a card verification value (CVV), prompting Steil to question their adherence to federal campaign finance laws.

Following minimal compliance from ActBlue, in September of this year, Steil introduced the SHIELD Act, which mandates stricter donor verification processes, including the use of CVV and billing addresses, and bans contributions via prepaid cards. The act passed a committee vote swiftly. Steil continued to press ActBlue, seeking further documents on donor policies and scrutinizing potential vulnerabilities that might allow foreign interference in U.S. elections.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) sent a letter to Sift CEO Kris Nagel on December 9, raising “urgent concerns regarding potential illicit election funding by foreign actors.” The letter points to ActBlue’s alleged failure to adequately prevent fraudulent transactions, including donations made with foreign-bought gift cards, which could violate federal election laws.

Lawmakers cited findings from recent analyses and federal investigations, which uncovered suspicious donation patterns linked to ActBlue, including unusually frequent transactions made under the names of elderly Americans and low-income individuals. “Adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, could have taken advantage of this vulnerability,” the letter warned.

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, foreign donations to U.S. campaigns are strictly prohibited, as are contributions made in someone else’s name.

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