ActBlue’s woes aren’t over as top Republican predicts DOJ charges over foreign cash controversy
A top Republican leading the ActBlue investigation is warning that Democrats’ main fundraising platform could potentially face criminal charges.
House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital that Congress’ investigation into ActBlue will continue and that he suspects the Department of Justice (DOJ) will also act if federal prosecutors believe a crime can be proven in court.
“We know that ActBlue did not have the fraud prevention standards in place that were necessary to prevent foreign funds from finding their way, through the ActBlue platform, to Democratic campaigns and causes. I am confident that ultimately we must pursue this investigation,” Steil told Fox News Digital.
“And then, outside of that, the United States Department of Justice will make a decision on whether or not they believe a crime was committed. And if they can prove that in court, I think the Justice Department will move forward.”
Steil’s committee, along with the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, have for years investigated allegations that ActBlue’s lax auditing standards allowed foreign cash to infiltrate U.S. elections. ActBlue has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the investigation as a partisan attack.
ActBlue, however, has sought to strengthen its donor verification standards as the investigation has progressed, including recently rolling out a new passport verification system.
“Our investigation is intended to communicate the facts to the American people and, in large part, to put us in a position to update our campaign finance laws for the digital age,” Steil said. “Many of our campaign finance laws were written in an earlier era. It is absolutely essential that we update our laws to reflect the fact that we are in a digital age of campaign finance.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News.
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