House Committees Subpoena Two Senior ACTBLUE Officials Over Alleged Fraudulent Donations

Three congressional oversight and administrative committees have subpoenaed two employees of the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue to testify after they failed to comply with a request to appear for voluntary transcribed interviews.

ActBlue employees’ attorney, Danny Onorato, had agreed to allow his clients to appear before the committees, but later changed his mind after President Trump signed a memorandum to crack down on fraudulent political contributions from straw donors and foreign actors. Onorato advised his clients to wait until more information was available, the Justice Department had completed its investigation, or issued further directives regarding their case. However, the committees stated that they could issue their directives independently of the Department of Justice for their oversight duties. They also noted that witnesses cannot impose their own conditions for appearing before House Committees and testifying.

Subsequently, the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee on House Administration, and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ordered Alyssa Twomey, ActBlue’s former Vice President of Customer Service, and ActBlue’s Senior Workflow Specialist to appear for written depositions regarding the organization allegedly receiving fraudulent donations from domestic and foreign donors. The House committees stated that Twomey headed ActBlue’s fraud-prevention team that had “a fundamentally unserious approach to fraud prevention.” They also claim that ActBlue weakened its fraud standards twice in 2024, despite being aware of attempted fraud on the platform, including from foreign actors. 

Additionally, ActBlue allegedly instructed its employees to find “reasons to accept contributions” without assessing them for fraud. “Other internal ActBlue documents show that top fraud-prevention staff assessed that there were several mechanisms by which bad actors could evade ActBlue’s fraud-prevention systems and make illicit donations,” the subpoena alleged. Over 22 instances of alleged fraudulent donations are currently under investigation. Approximately 237 donations from foreign IP addresses and prepaid gift cards were detected within 30 days.  It is also alleged that small dollar amounts from taxpayers’ money were being laundered from abroad using the stolen identities of unsuspecting and unemployed Americans, including senior citizens.

Investigative journalist James O’Keefe contacted some of the alleged victims of identity fraud. He asked them if they knew their personal information was used for suspected election money laundering. One potential victim was shocked to discover that she had made 648 donations, totaling around $16,000. “I’m not rich. I don’t give that kind of money,” she stated.

Trump has accused Democrats of using the fundraising platform to launder money. He linked his long-term adversary and Russia hoaxer Adam Schiff to the alleged illegal donation scheme and called for his investigation. “Hopefully ACTBLUE, the Democrats ILLEGAL SCAM used to raise money, including from not allowed ‘foreign contributions,’ is being looked at by authorities. The Dems only know how to win by CHEATING, something which they do better than any group or party in history,” he posted on Truth Social. “But now, with their terrible policies and candidates, and with people like Crooked Adam Schiff, who demanded a full Pardon from Sleepy Joe, leading the way, it is almost impossible to reach their money goals.”

ActBlue claims the ongoing investigation is another attempt by the Trump administration to undermine democracy and weaponize the Department of Justice. “The Trump Administration’s and GOP’s targeting of ActBlue is part of their brazen attack on democracy in America,” ActBlue claimed. “This Administration continues to weaponize the instruments of federal power in an unprecedented assault on our democracy.”