House Republican investigators are signaling their examination of the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue is far from over, citing a recent report of internal memos that they allege raise further questions about the platform's handling of potential foreign donations and its disclosures to Congress.
"Our investigation into ActBlue is far from over. We expect more documents and testimony in the weeks ahead," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital. Comer characterized the allegations as part of a broader pattern where "Democrats have proven themselves to be the party of fraud."
ActBlue serves as a major fundraising tool for numerous Democratic campaigns and party leaders. Republican lawmakers have previously accused the company of lax donor verification standards. While ActBlue has stated it has improved these standards, new findings, first reported by Fox News Digital, suggest employees may have approved donations despite concerns about their origins.
The House Committee on Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., stated that ActBlue's own admissions have raised serious questions about its fraud prevention. He specifically pointed to a verification processes that he claims did not verify entries against any government database. "All options are on the table to ensure we get to the bottom of what is going on at ActBlue," Steil said.
The House Judiciary Committee also confirmed it will continue its oversight of ActBlue, including additional depositions. However, transcripts released by the committee indicated that all 10 ActBlue employees and board members who underwent closed-door depositions invoked the Fifth Amendment, declining to answer questions. ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones also invoked the Fifth Amendment during a public hearing.
A report by House Republicans cites a letter from Wallace-Jones to Steil, which stated that donations from individuals with addresses outside the U.S. required a passport number for verification. However, the report alleges that this verification step only confirmed the length of the entered passport number, not its validity as a U.S. passport.
Excerpts within the report appear to show ActBlue supervisors approving donations despite potential red flags. One memo noted a donation as a "great accept" while also observing, "Donor sometimes has an IP in Hong Kong, but none of their other signals raise any eyebrows." Another communication suggested a denied contribution "should have been accepted" because, despite appearing foreign, the donor's name, email, IP, and billing information matched, and they had made prior successful contributions.
In response to these allegations, ActBlue has maintained its innocence, with a company statement indicating there is "no evidence that foreign donations through online or small-dollar contributions are a problem in U.S. elections." The company also suggested that the Republican scrutiny is a "political stunt" aimed at silencing organizations that threaten their agenda.
Despite ActBlue's defense, the National Republican Congressional Committee has called on House Democrats to cease using the platform and return any funds raised through it, citing the serious allegations against ActBlue.