ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis pleaded the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door deposition Thursday before three House committees investigating the Democratic fundraising platform.
The session before the House Administration, Oversight, and Judiciary Committees lasted less than 30 minutes. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed DeBergalis refused to answer questions under the Fifth Amendment.
The joint probe is examining allegations that ActBlue’s fraud prevention standards were too weak and may have allowed foreign donations into U.S. campaigns. House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., opened the investigation in 2023, pointing to the platform’s previous failure to require credit card CVV numbers for contributions. ActBlue has since added that requirement.
A committee report released in April 2025 stated that ActBlue executives and staff were aware foreign and domestic fraudulent actors were exploiting the platform but did not take the threat seriously. The platform’s current CEO also invoked the Fifth Amendment during congressional questioning.
