Congress Expands Probe into Democratic Fundraising Platform ActBlue
A congressional probe into the far-left fundraising website ActBlue has expanded to include possible foreign donations, as well as demands for access to bank reports.
According to Just The News, a letter was sent on Thursday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines by Congressman Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.), the chairman of the House Administration Committee, and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). In the letter, Congressman Steil and Senator Johnson confirmed that Congress is now investigating the possibility that up to four foreign adversaries have funneled money to Democrats through the massive fundraising platform.
“We write to you to raise an urgent concern regarding potential illicit election funding by foreign actors,” the letter reads. “CHA has been investigating claims that foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.”
“Our investigation has indicated that these actors may be exploiting existing U.S. donors by making straw donations without their knowledge,” the lawmakers continued.
The letter demands access to any and all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that are related to money received by ActBlue that were filed by banks and other financial institutions as part of their reporting on the monitoring of possible money-laundering activities.
“We request that the Department make available to [our] staff all Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) related to ActBlue, specifically regarding fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and the use of prepaid credit, debit, and gift cards in this context,” the letter demanded.
ActBlue, which for years has served as the dominant fundraising operation for left-wing causes and Democratic candidates, has come under fire in recent years for alleged money-laundering and acceptance of foreign funds, among other scandalous accusations. But the leadership at the mega-fundraiser has remained defiant despite ongoing investigations.
“Democratic and progressive campaigns have trusted ActBlue’s two-decade-long track record of innovation and dependability to deliver during big fundraising moments,” said ActBlue in a statement in June, as the platform celebrated its 20th anniversary.