Two Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have asked the Treasury Department, the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence for information on potential election interference through fraudulent donations by foreign actors via a popular fundraising committee used by Democrats.
In a letter sent Thursday to Treasury, Rep. Bryan Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee and Sen. Ron Johnson, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, requested Suspicious Activity Reports related to ActBlue, the fundraising platform.
They also requested that all three agencies provide classified briefings on the matter.
The House panel “has been investigating claims that foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The investigation has indicated that these actors may be exploiting existing U.S. donors by making straw donations without their knowledge.”
According to Mr. Johnson and Mr. Steil, the Federal Election Commission has refused to confirm or deny whether it is investigating this matter.
The House investigation, the letter says, shows that evidence has emerged pointing to illegal donations being divided up into numerous smaller contributions made in the name of existing ActBlue donors without their knowledge.
Known as “smurfing,” this practice happens when illicit actors use prepaid debit, credit, or gift cards in the names of legitimate donors to make straw donations that are virtually impossible to detect.
“In October 2023, [the House committee] sent a letter to ActBlue inquiring how it prevents contributions from foreign sources, and whether it requires the card verification value (“CVV”) associated with the credit or debit card used by the contributor when making an online contribution,” the lawmakers wrote. “ActBlue responded, explaining that it did not require contributors to provide their CVV when making an online contribution.
The Washington Times reached out to ActBlue for comment.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Steil said the failure to verify donor identity may have allowed foreign actors to fraudulently participate in the political process in the U.S.
“Ranking Member Johnson asked Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray during a September 25, 2024 secure briefing about election security what the FBI was doing to investigate smurfing, Director Wray seemed clueless on the issue and had no idea if the FBI was doing anything to investigate it,” the two Republican members wrote.
The FEC declined to comment. The FBI received the letter but declined to comment.
The Washington Times reached out to ActBlue, Treasury Department and the DNI for comment.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Steil said that other briefers, including DNI Director Avril Haines, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, remained silent about the matter.
“Based on the evidence gathered, [the House Administration Committee] referred this matter to several state Attorneys General for further investigation, including those in Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia,” they said. “We request that your office examine and report any evidence or intelligence that links foreign actors, particularly from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, to efforts to exploit U.S. political fundraising systems.”
The House panel also sent a letter to the FEC asking it to immediately initiate an emergency rulemaking process to require political campaigns to verify the CVV of donors who contribute online.
Additionally, the committee requested the FEC for rulemaking to prohibit political committees from accepting online contributions from gift cards or credit and debit cards.
The lawmakers wrote that the House committee conducted a comprehensive data analysis, comparing more than 200 million FEC donation records with data on age, party affiliation, number of donations, consumer purchasing power, and net worth.
“This study revealed several anomalies and mismatches in the FEC records, suggesting that foreign entities may be using these tactics to interfere with U.S. elections,” they wrote.
The House Administration Committee introduced legislation in early September known as the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations Act (“SHIELD Act”).
The bill would ban political committees like ActBlue from accepting online contributions from debit or credit cards without the disclosure of the CVV and billing address associated with the card.
The legislation would also prohibit the acceptance of contributions from gift cards, pre-paid credit or debit cards, or gift certificates and adopt a bipartisan legislative recommendation from the FEC to bar people from knowingly aiding or abetting someone who makes a contribution in the name of another person.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.