Something doesn’t add up. And now even ActBlue’s own lawyers were raising red flags.
According to a recent report, internal legal memos warned that ActBlue may have given Congress a misleading picture of how it screens donations, especially when it comes to foreign money.
That’s not a small issue. That’s the kind of thing that can lead to criminal investigations.
ActBlue is the Democratic Party’s main fundraising machine. It has processed nearly $19 billion since 2004. Millions of small donations. Credit cards. Online clicks. Easy money.
But here’s the problem.
Federal law is clear. Foreign nationals are not allowed to donate to U.S. campaigns. Period.
Yet ActBlue’s own lawyers warned that the system meant to stop that may not have worked the way leadership claimed.
Some of the safeguards described to Congress were not always followed. In some cases, donors using services like PayPal or Apple Pay weren’t even asked for key verification.
That opens the door to something every American should be worried about.
Foreign money slipping into our elections.
Now, ActBlue says less than 1 percent of donations showed signs of coming from overseas.
Critics say that misses the bigger point. Because the real story may be hiding in plain sight.
Across the country, there have been reports of elderly, low-income Democrats listed as donors making tens of thousands of small contributions.
We’re talking 10,000 to 40,000 separate donations per person. Most of them under $20.
But when you add it up, some of these individuals supposedly gave hundreds of thousands of dollars. That doesn’t pass the smell test.
When reporters and activists knocked on doors, many of these people said they didn’t make those donations. One even said, “I wish I had.”
That raises serious questions. Were these people used as straw donors?
Some suspect a larger operation behind it. Possibly foreign actors using prepaid or debit cards, routing money through real Americans’ names to hide the source.
If that’s true, we’re not talking about a paperwork error. We’re talking about potential money laundering and identity theft. Two serious federal crimes.
And here’s where it gets even more troubling.
In some races, especially smaller states, ActBlue has reportedly accounted for a huge share of a candidate’s funding. In some cases, more than half. Sometimes close to 80 percent.
That means money flowing in from across the country can dominate local elections.
So when Democrats complain about “big money” or “threats to democracy,” it rings a little hollow.
Because this looks less like grassroots support and more like a centralized funding pipeline.
That’s not local control. That’s influence buying.
To be fair, ActBlue denies wrongdoing. Its leadership says the system has improved and that earlier statements were accurate “in context.”
They also argue that Republican investigations are politically motivated.
Maybe.
But here’s the thing.
When top lawyers warn about “substantial risk” and potential criminal exposure, when senior staff start resigning, and when your own systems don’t match what you told Congress…
People are going to ask questions. And they should.
There’s also a local angle here in Nevada.
Campaigns up and down the ballot rely on national fundraising platforms like ActBlue. If those systems aren’t secure, it affects races right here at home.
Voters deserve to know where the money is coming from. Not guess.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about party. It’s about trust. If Americans can’t trust the money in elections, everything else starts to fall apart.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
