Trump orders investigation aimed at Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation aimed at ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising platform.
The memorandum targets allegations of foreign donors and so-called "straw donors" in U.S. elections, and highlights ActBlue as potential violator, prompting top Democrats to accuse the administration of trying to "undermine democratic participation."
Trump has made a series of moves to punish perceived adversaries, including revoking security clearances, targeting law firms and initiating an investigation into two former Department of Homeland Security officials.
Now the White House is taking aim at a key source of fundraising for Democrats, who utilize ActBlue to collect donations online. The investigation targets the financial underpinnings of Trump's opposition as Democrats step up efforts to challenge his administration.
The White House is citing an investigation into ActBlue by GOP-controlled congressional committees. The committees released a report earlier this month alleging that ActBlue has a "fundamentally unserious approach to fraud prevention... one that has left the door open for large-scale fraud campaigns on Democrats’ top fundraising platform." Federal law prohibits contributions by foreign nationals in U.S. elections.
ActBlue said in a statement that the organization "strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities."
"The Trump Administration and GOP’s targeting of ActBlue is part of their brazen attack on democracy in America," ActBlue said in a subsequent statement after Trump signed the memorandum. "Today’s escalation by the White House is blatantly unlawful and needs to be seen for what it is: Donald Trump’s latest front in his campaign to stamp out all political, electoral and ideological opposition."
The leaders of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a joint statement bashing Trump's memorandum.
“Donald Trump’s memorandum targeting ActBlue is designed to undermine democratic participation — and it’s no wonder why. He knows Americans are already fed up with his chaotic agenda that is driving the economy off a cliff, so he’s trying to block lawful grassroots donations," the Democratic leaders said in the statement, adding: "As Democrats, we’re unified in standing with the millions of Americans who are fighting back against Trump’s dangerous abuses of power.”
Trump targets opponents
Trump's focus on ActBlue follows other executive actions targeting perceived opponents.
Trump signed an executive order shortly after his inauguration revoking the security clearances for 50 former intelligence officials. All but one of the officials had signed a 2020 letter that said the public release of emails that reportedly belonged to former President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." More security clearances have since been revoked.
The Trump administration also has targeted law firms, including one that represented former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, another that employed a lawyer who aided former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into allegations of pro-Trump Russian election interference and a firm that employed Mueller. In some executive orders, Trump accused the firms of being "partisan" in the clients they represented.
(This article has been updated to include new information.)
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Josh Meyer, Aysha Bagchi