House investigators moved Wednesday to subpoena the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue as part of a widening investigation into illicit foreign funding in the 2024 election. The action comes after the Treasury Department confirmed that its anti-money laundering system had flagged hundreds of suspicious activity reports (SARs) linked to ActBlue.
In memos obtained by Just the News, House members and ActBlue were notified of the development, with lawmakers expressing concern that foreign adversaries, including China, Iran, Venezuela, and Russia, might be funneling illegal foreign money into Democratic campaigns by exploiting American donors’ identities.
“Although Treasury has not yet produced any records, it is currently reviewing hundreds of potentially responsive records,” House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer wrote to colleagues in a confidential memo Tuesday night.
Comer, House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) recently requested access to SARs related to funds moving through ActBlue, noting that Treasury had disclosed this request as one of its largest records reviews this Congress. Meanwhile, Steil’s committee informed ActBlue that it may subpoena records as soon as this week, demanding information on how the platform verifies donors’ identities and prevents fraud or money laundering tied to donations supporting Democratic candidates and organizations.
“The Committee is in the process of subpoenaing the items listed above. Given the critical importance of safeguarding the upcoming election, we strongly urge you to expedite the response to this inquiry,” Steil wrote to ActBlue on Monday, citing concerns about potential exploitation by Iran, China, Venezuela, and Russia.
Steil’s letter also raised concerns over ActBlue’s security practices, noting that last year, ActBlue informed the committee it did not require the CVV code, a security feature that verifies credit or debit card transactions, on all contributions— a key safeguard against fraud.
Steil’s letter demanded that ActBlue produce the following information:
- Any updates to ActBlue’s CVV verification policy since October 2023;
- Documentation on contributions processed via prepaid cards, including the origin of any cards from outside the United States;
- Details on any entities deplatformed by ActBlue due to decisions by third-party payment processors or because funding came from a foreign or sanctioned source;
- Reports from U.S. citizens alleging unauthorized or fraudulent donations made in their names.
Additionally, GOP lawmakers have requested access to any ActBlue-related SARs filed by U.S. financial institutions as part of their anti-money laundering monitoring efforts. They’ve asked Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to provide SARs that indicate possible fraud, money laundering, or the use of prepaid cards related to ActBlue.
Johnson and Steil also requested classified briefings from the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies to shed light on any potential foreign money laundering linked to the election. SARs, typically filed by banks within 30 days of detecting unusual transactions, are sensitive documents alerting the government to activities that may signal criminal acts like money laundering or tax evasion.
“We request that the Department make available to CHA and PSI staff all Suspicious Activity Reports (‘SARs’) related to ActBlue, specifically regarding fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and the use of prepaid credit, debit, and gift cards in this context,” Johnson and Steil wrote.
Read the memo here.
