Texas AG opens investigation into 'suspicious donations' made to Harris campaign through Democratic group
With Election Day only 15 days away, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is sounding the alarm about a popular progressive fundraising platform that he says is interfering in the presidential election.
“Our investigation into ActBlue has uncovered facts indicating that bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a statement on X.
“It is imperative that the FEC close off the avenues we have identified by which foreign contributions or contributions in excess of legal limits could be unlawfully funneled to political campaigns, bypassing campaign finance regulations and compromising our electoral system,” he continued.
In December 2023, Paxton opened an investigation into ActBlue to determine whether the platform’s operations were compliant with all applicable laws.
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Then in August 2024, Paxton revealed that an investigation into ActBlue determined the group began requiring donors using credit cards to provide “CVV” codes, a common security measure. However, Paxton said it appeared that “straw donations” were systematically being made using false identities, through untraceable payment methods.
“I am calling on the FEC to immediately begin rulemaking to secure our elections from any criminal actors exploiting these vulnerabilities,” Paxton said.
ActBlue targets small-dollar donations, the Hill first reported, and has been an integral part of the Democratic fundraising structure, collecting an estimated $1.5 billion from about 7 million donors.
While that influx of cash was split among nearly 19,000 campaigns, an excessive amount has gone to the highest profile races. In just the first few days of the Harris campaign, for example, donors gave her $200 million through the platform, per ActBlue’s account on the social platform X, the Hill reported.
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In September, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) introduced a bill that would require political committees to collect CVVs — the three- or four-digit “card verification value” on the back of a credit card — along with political donations.
Steil, who chairs the Committee on House Administration, sent a letter to top FEC officials urging them to “immediately initiate an emergency rulemaking to require political campaigns to verify the card verification value (‘CVV’) of donors who contribute online using a credit or debit card, and to prohibit political campaigns from accepting online contributions from a gift card or other prepaid credit cards.” The Aug. 5 request came in response to accusations that ActBlue is skirting campaign donation laws that allow for rampant fraud on the site.
Paxton’s office has said previously that “secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic.”
Back in August, Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., also sent a letter to the FEC demanding an investigation into the same allegations Paxton has now brought to attention.
Tenney, who co-chairs the House Election Integrity Caucus, cited in the letter addressed to FEC Chair Sean Cooksey and Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub “significant public reporting on anomalous transaction activity involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.” According to the agency’s publicly available data, Tenney wrote, “numerous individuals have allegedly donated to ActBlue thousands of times annually.” However, “it was reported many of these individuals were unaware their names and addresses were being used to make thousands of dollars in political donations.”
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“Given the deliberate lack of security in their donation practices, it is unsurprising that ActBlue could be exploited for fraudulent activities,” Tenney wrote. “Recognizing that foreign actors use fake accounts to exploit donation systems lacking robust verification safeguards, most individual campaigns and political action committees (PACs) require CVV numbers to donate online. However, despite its widespread use among its online counterparts, ActBlue deliberately chooses not to require CVV numbers for donations, possibly facilitating fraudulent activities and foreign interference in our electoral system.”
Tenney specifically urged the FEC to investigate “anomalous transaction activity as it relates to donations to ActBlue,” and answer whether the FEC had already examined anomalous transaction activity or ActBlue’s lax verification processes. If so, the congresswoman asked the FEC to provide “a detailed summary of the results of that investigation.”
The FEC declined to comment on the letter. Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue regarding the allegations, but it did not immediately respond.
Whistleblowers have also reported the receipt of a significant number of donations from retirees living on a fixed income, and hundreds of donations of $2.50 from the same individual, according to the committee.
The site has been used to raise millions of dollars for Harris as she takes on former President Trump in November.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
