U.S. Rep. NicholasLangworthy, District 23 | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. NicholasLangworthy, District 23 | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Langworthy and House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer have initiated an investigation into potential fraud linked to ActBlue campaign contributions. In a letter addressed to U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the lawmakers requested all suspicious activity reports (SARs) related to questionable financial activities.
“ActBlue has been funneling questionable donations into Democrat campaigns for far too long, raising serious concerns about fraud and illegal contributions — that’s why I launched a new investigation today alongside Chairman Comer and the House Oversight Committee,” said Congressman Langworthy. “We can’t tolerate shady practices, foreign interference, and blatant exploitation of our campaign finance laws. The American people deserve to know who’s really behind these contributions.”
“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating reports of potentially fraudulent and illicit financial activity related to contributions to campaigns of candidates for federal offices mediated by online fundraising platforms like ActBlue. The Committee writes to request the U.S. Department of the Treasury make available to the Committee certain Suspicious Activity Reports relevant to the Committee’s investigation,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.
Recent reports about ActBlue have raised concerns regarding fraud and evasion of campaign finance law by individuals exploiting online contribution platforms. ActBlue had not implemented standard procedures such as requiring a Card Verification Value (CVV) for processing online transactions until it faced criticism for this oversight. Additionally, several states' officials are investigating ActBlue in relation to allegedly fraudulent contributions made without the reported contributor's awareness. Federal law prohibits contributions made in another person's name.
“The Committee is concerned that failure to properly vet contributions made through online platforms may have allowed bad actors to more easily commit fraud to illegally exploit and violate federal campaign finance laws. These bad actors could include foreign nationals not lawfully admitted for permanent residence who are prohibited by statute from contributing to campaigns or political parties. They could also include individuals looking to flout the limits of individual contributions by fraudulently using others’ identities to evade those limits, in addition to other criminal activity in violation of campaign finance laws,” continued the lawmakers.“It is imperative that Congress determine whether legislation is necessary to ensure adherence to statutes related to campaign finance, and guard against foreign or unfair influence in our elections.”
The lawmakers have requested Secretary Yellen provide all SARs related to ActBlue by October 4, 2024.
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