Press Releases
WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01), House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (KY-01), and Representative Nick Langworthy (NY-23) are continuing an investigation into reports of fraudulent and illicit campaign activity linked to the Democrat Party’s go-to online fundraising platform, ActBlue. During the 118thCongress, the Biden Administration intentionally stonewalled this investigation by withholding documents for months. Today’s letter to newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent requests access to all of the documents previously withheld by the Biden Administration in an effort to bring transparency to the campaign finance process and hold ActBlue accountable.
“The Committees remain concerned with recent reports suggesting fraud and evasion of campaign finance law by individuals exploiting online contribution platforms, especially ActBlue. Until recently, ActBlue had not implemented standard procedures to guard against identity theft and fraud, such as by requiring a Card Verification Value (CVV) to process online transactions. The organization is also the subject of several state-level investigations stemming from allegedly fraudulent contributions made via the platform without the reported contributors’ awareness —serious allegations that, if proven true, would violate federal law,” wrote the lawmakers.
“As Secretary, you are authorized to provide information obtained through SARs to congressional committees upon written request. It is crucial to the Committees’ investigations that we review all responsive documents in a timely manner to determine whether legislation is needed to ensure adherence to applicable campaign finance laws and guard against illicit foreign influence or other illegal activities in U.S. elections,” continued the lawmakers.
Read the letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent here.
Background:
On October 31, 2023, following reports that ActBlue was accepting political contributions without a card verification value (CVV), Chairman Steil sent a letter demanding answers on ActBlue's practices, questioning if they are complying with federal campaign finance laws and preventing foreign and illegal contributions.
On November 27, 2023, ActBlue responded to Chairman Steil's letter saying it did not require a CVV in order to contribute on their website.
On September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards. It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.
On September 11, 2024, the SHIELD Act passed the Committee on House Administration by a voice-vote.
On September 18, 2024, Chairman Steil sent letters to the Attorneys General from Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri, updating them on the Committee's investigation into ActBlue, a major democratic fundraising platform. Along with the letter, the Attorneys General received the data and evidence that the Committee has collected over the course of almost a year.
On October 28, 2024, Chairman Steil sent a letter to ActBlue demanding documents and information related to the platform's donor verification policies and potential vulnerabilities that foreign actors may exploit to illegally participate in the U.S. political process.
On October 30, 2024, Chairman Steil issued a subpoena to ActBlue for documents related to ActBlue's donor verification policies and the potential for foreign actors to use the platform to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.
On December 10, 2024, Chairman Steil released findings from his subpoena of ActBlue.
“The Committees remain concerned with recent reports suggesting fraud and evasion of campaign finance law by individuals exploiting online contribution platforms, especially ActBlue. Until recently, ActBlue had not implemented standard procedures to guard against identity theft and fraud, such as by requiring a Card Verification Value (CVV) to process online transactions. The organization is also the subject of several state-level investigations stemming from allegedly fraudulent contributions made via the platform without the reported contributors’ awareness —serious allegations that, if proven true, would violate federal law,” wrote the lawmakers.
“As Secretary, you are authorized to provide information obtained through SARs to congressional committees upon written request. It is crucial to the Committees’ investigations that we review all responsive documents in a timely manner to determine whether legislation is needed to ensure adherence to applicable campaign finance laws and guard against illicit foreign influence or other illegal activities in U.S. elections,” continued the lawmakers.
Read the letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent here.
Background:
On October 31, 2023, following reports that ActBlue was accepting political contributions without a card verification value (CVV), Chairman Steil sent a letter demanding answers on ActBlue's practices, questioning if they are complying with federal campaign finance laws and preventing foreign and illegal contributions.
On November 27, 2023, ActBlue responded to Chairman Steil's letter saying it did not require a CVV in order to contribute on their website.
On September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards. It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.
On September 11, 2024, the SHIELD Act passed the Committee on House Administration by a voice-vote.
On September 18, 2024, Chairman Steil sent letters to the Attorneys General from Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri, updating them on the Committee's investigation into ActBlue, a major democratic fundraising platform. Along with the letter, the Attorneys General received the data and evidence that the Committee has collected over the course of almost a year.
On October 28, 2024, Chairman Steil sent a letter to ActBlue demanding documents and information related to the platform's donor verification policies and potential vulnerabilities that foreign actors may exploit to illegally participate in the U.S. political process.
On October 30, 2024, Chairman Steil issued a subpoena to ActBlue for documents related to ActBlue's donor verification policies and the potential for foreign actors to use the platform to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.
On December 10, 2024, Chairman Steil released findings from his subpoena of ActBlue.
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