Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., the chair of the Committee on House Administration, issued a subpoena to ActBlue, the fundraising platform used by Democrats to collect donations for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Steil accused ActBlue is being used as a front to launder money according to a release.
"We cannot allow foreign actors to influence our elections through campaign financing. The Committee's investigation uncovered that foreign actors might be taking advantage of ActBlue's inadequate security protocols," Steil said in a release. "To ensure that foreign money is not being laundered through ActBlue, we are requesting a series of documents and communications related to their donor security and verification policies. Preventing foreign interference in U.S. elections has been my top priority as Chairman and this next step in our investigation is crucial to achieving that goal."
House investigators are examining whether entities from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China may have directed funds to support Democrat campaigns in 2024 through ActBlue.
The expanded probe has requested any suspicious activity reports that U.S. financial institutions may have filed regarding transactions involving ActBlue. These reports are part of financial institutions' standard procedures for monitoring for signs of money laundering or illicit activity.
According to the subpoena, Steil and ActBlue exchanged a series of letters regarding the website's verification practices and Steil's committees attempts to regulate them, The Hill reported.
"As the Committee continues to develop legislation to close loopholes in our campaign finance system and prevent foreign actors from influencing U.S. federal elections, we are issuing this subpoena to better inform our efforts to safeguard our nation's elections," Steil wrote in the subpoena.
Last month, Steil introduced legislation that would require ActBlue to have more stringent verification procedures, after ActBlue told the Wisconsin congressman it was accepting political contributions without a credit card verification value, the Hill reported.
ActBlue has collected billions in small dollar donations for Democrats this election cycle, doling out the money to 19,000 campaigns.
The platform has denied wrongdoing and emphasized its compliance history. In a statement marking its 20th anniversary earlier this year, ActBlue highlighted its long-standing reputation.
"Democratic and progressive campaigns have trusted ActBlue's two-decade-long track record of innovation and dependability to deliver during big fundraising moments," the platform noted.
Sam Barron ✉
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