Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, has accused the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue of functioning as a "money laundering operation" for the party, alleging that millions of dollars in foreign contributions flowed through the platform without adequate verification.
Fallon stated in an interview that congressional investigations have uncovered significant failures in ActBlue's compliance and fraud prevention measures. He specifically pointed to the platform's past practice of not requiring CVV codes for some credit card donations as a "huge red flag."
"If they were on the up and up, then why is everyone that used to work for ActBlue taking the Fifth Amendment?" Fallon questioned, referring to individuals affiliated with ActBlue who have invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during depositions. He also noted the departure of ActBlue's entire legal and compliance team after the 2024 election, suggesting it indicated questionable activities.
Multiple House committees, including the Committee on House Administration, the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, are jointly investigating ActBlue's fraud-prevention practices and allegations of illegal foreign donations. Documents produced pursuant to subpoenas indicated that ActBlue's legal and compliance team had largely dissolved by March 2025, with members resigning, being fired, or taking extended leave.
ActBlue has contested these allegations, calling the investigation a politically motivated attack and asserting its commitment to protecting the integrity of small-dollar donations. The platform stated that its fraud-detection system evaluates over 140 factors and blocks contributions linked to foreign IP addresses, bank accounts, and non-U.S. mailing addresses. ActBlue also claims it has cooperated with the investigations by producing thousands of pages of materials, while accusing lawmakers of engaging in "political theater."
Fallon, however, maintains that the platform accepted millions in foreign contributions, which he believes were "game-changing" and are reflected in the platform's current fundraising numbers, which he characterized as diminished compared to previous election cycles. He indicated that an investigation by the FBI or other federal agencies would be welcome.