House Republicans say their investigation into ActBlue is “far from over,” days after a bombshell report accused the Democratic fundraising platform of gutting its fraud-prevention system and letting through donations flagged with foreign red flags — with all 10 ActBlue witnesses deposed so far invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.
Why it matters: Foreign nationals are barred by law from donating to U.S. political campaigns, and ActBlue is the dominant processor of small-dollar giving for Democratic candidates nationwide. If the House GOP’s findings hold up, they show a major campaign-finance platform knowingly waving through donations its own systems had flagged as likely fraudulent or foreign — a live issue heading into the 2026 midterms.
Driving the news:
The House Judiciary, House Administration, and House Oversight committees released a report Sept. 17 — “Fraud on ActBlue, Part III” — alleging the platform’s “passport verification” system only checked the length of a submitted number, never validating it against any government database.
Internal Slack messages cited in the report show ActBlue staff were instructed to “give the donor the benefit of the doubt” when reviewing transactions flagged for foreign IP addresses, mismatched billing information, and prepaid cards.
Fox News reported Sept. 21 that House Oversight Chairman James Comer says the probe is “far from over,” with more documents and testimony expected “in the weeks ahead.”
All 10 ActBlue employees and board members deposed so far — including cofounder Matt DeBergalis — have invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
By the numbers: The committees’ report found ActBlue auto-accepted 99.8% of donations and rejected fewer than 0.1% for suspected fraud, even though its own systems had flagged 22 significant fraud campaigns. Separately, the report cites one Michigan woman who made roughly 15,000 donations totaling more than $150,000 through the platform. The joint investigation has been running for about two years.
What they’re saying: House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.): “Whether it’s allowing fraudsters to steal taxpayer dollars or accepting illegal foreign donations through ActBlue, Democrats have proven themselves to be the party of fraud. Our investigation into ActBlue is far from over. We expect more documents and testimony in the weeks ahead.”
House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.): “ActBlue’s own admissions raise serious questions about its fraud prevention practices, including a so-called passport verification process that did not actually verify or check entries against any government database. All options are on the table to ensure we get to the bottom of what is going on at ActBlue.”
The other side: ActBlue, in a statement to Fox News, pushed back: “There’s nothing to see here. After we released findings of a third-party forensic analysis that completely undermined a central claim that they have made against ActBlue, Republicans are refusing to move on.”
What’s next:
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan’s committee says it will pursue “additional depositions” as part of continued “aggressive oversight” of ActBlue.
A separate lawsuit against ActBlue from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is still proceeding, and the Justice Department is investigating foreign contribution schemes tied to the platform.
Comer says lawmakers expect more internal documents and testimony from ActBlue in the coming weeks.
The bottom line: With a possible contempt fight brewing in Congress and a state lawsuit and a federal investigation both still active, the ActBlue probe is shaping up as one of the more consequential campaign-finance fights of the cycle — and House Republicans are signaling they’re nowhere near done.
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