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'Tipping the scales': House GOP leaders rip ActBlue after Dem fundraising giant hit with subpoena
By Elizabeth Elkind, Tyler Olson
Published October 31, 2024
Top House Republicans are coalescing behind the House Administration Committee’s subpoena of Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue.
Republicans have accused the company of having insufficient donor verification standards. Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has argued that the site is vulnerable to fraudulent and illegal foreign donations, though ActBlue has said it "rigorously protects donors’ security."
"ActBlue has a lot of explaining to do, and Chairman Steil is right to demand answers on these very serious allegations of foreign funds being funneled through the platform," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of House Republicans’ campaign arm, told Fox News Digital.
"Just as we must protect the right to vote for American citizens, we must ensure our elections are free from foreign financial interference."
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Republican leaders like NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik are hammering ActBlue (Getty Images)
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., also credited Steil and pointed out that his accusations come amid reports that China and Iran are trying to influence the election.
"Malign foreign actors are attempting to hijack American elections through the Far Left Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue by tipping the scales in favor of Kamala Harris and Congressional Democrats," Stefanik said. "It has never been more critical to ensure American elections are free from foreign manipulation."
ActBlue did not require a card verification value (CVV) to be input for donations until recently, prompting a flurry of concern from Republican lawmakers and some GOP state attorneys general.
Steil sent multiple letters and requests for information to the platform, which has insisted it holds donor security to a high standard.
Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., of the House Administration Committee subpoenaed the Democratic fundraising giant. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said he was "supportive" of the subpoena, adding, "Only American citizens should be participants in our elections, and this investigation is critical to ensure that our elections remain secure and shielded from foreign actors."
Steil issued a subpoena Wednesday to ActBlue for "documents and communications related to ActBlue’s donor verification policies and the potential for foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China to use ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns."
ActBlue responded to Steil in a statement, "ActBlue has received Chairman Steil’s latest inquiry and will respond to address the continued inaccuracies and misrepresentations about our platform, as we have done previously. We rigorously protect donors' security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform."
But fellow Republicans on his committee are standing firm that the subpoena was necessary.
Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., the chair of the panel's subcommittee on elections, told Fox News Digital, "In our investigation so far, we have found that loopholes in ActBlue’s insufficient security protocols may be exploited by bad actors, potentially leading to countries like China, Russia and Venezuela donating to campaigns in the names of Americans without their consent."
Rep. Laurel Lee is the panel's subcommittee chair on elections. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"With the general election just five days away, Americans need to have confidence that our elections are secure and that there is no foul play involved," she said.
Committee member Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said, "The subpoena is critical for the committee to ensure federal campaign finance laws are not being violated, including laundering money into campaign coffers through inadequate security protections."
Meanwhile, Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital, "Like the chairman, I have been concerned by the inadequate security protocols at ActBlue, who haven’t required CVV verification and allow for pre-paid cards for political donations."
The accusations come at a critical time, with Election Day less than a week out.
The platform denied all GOP allegations of wrongdoing in a statement to Fox News before Steil’s subpoena, "These false claims about ActBlue have been discredited repeatedly by campaign finance experts. ActBlue protects donors’ information by maintaining a robust security program and fraud prevention measures, often beyond what is required by law."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tipping-scales-house-gop-leaders-rip-actblue-after-dem-fundraising-giant-hit-subpoena