WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04) sent a letter to Sift, the company that provides "fraud detection and prevention services" for ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform. The letter demands documents and communications related to Sift's efforts to deter fraudulent transactions on ActBlue. Additionally, the Chairmen are requesting documents and communications related to reports made to ActBlue or Sift by U.S. citizens alleging unauthorized or fraudulent transactions in their name and all documents and communications between or among Sift and the Executive Branch referring to potentially fraudulent transactions on ActBlue.

Excerpts from the letter read:

"According to recent reporting, ActBlue, a major online political fundraising platform, has maintained poor anti-fraud practices that have allowed bad actors to make fraudulent political donations, including from foreign sources. Fraudulent political donations corrupt American elections and could amount to interstate criminal conduct. Because Sift has provided 'fraud detection and prevention services' for ActBlue, we write to request your cooperation with our oversight."

"Recent reports suggest that ActBlue may be allowing fraudulent political donations to occur on its platform. For example, CHA recently conducted a data analysis of Federal Election Commission records that uncovered suspicious transactions made using ActBlue, including donations larger than the named donor could afford, 'uncharacteristic donations from registered voters suddenly contributing to candidates of the opposing party,' and 'unusually frequent' donations from vulnerable individuals, including senior citizens and first-time donors."

"Evidence indicates that foreign nationals could have exploited ActBlue’s poor security measures to make fraudulent small-dollar contributions to Democrat campaigns using the names and addresses of unwitting American citizens. Adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, could have taken advantage of this vulnerability."

Read the full letter 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.

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