The Treasury Department has received records of hundreds of transactions linked to Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue that have been flagged by banks potentially suspiciousAccording to a congressional memorandum obtained exclusively by The Post.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer briefed Republican members of his panel last week about “potential fraud and illegal financial activity” tied to the political donation portal after a briefing with Treasury Department staff.
“Although Treasury has not yet prepared any records, it is currently reviewing hundreds of potentially responsive records,” Comer (R-Ky.) disclosed in an October 25 memo.
“Treasury disclosed that this is one of the largest records reviews conducted in this Congress,” he said.
Those records may include evidence of money laundering, fraudulent or counterfeit use of credit or debit cards, wire transfer fraud, identity theft or other financial crimes identified through January 1, 2023, by a financial institution Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). Let’s enter. Federal Government.
Comer told members of the oversight panel that his staff was “working closely with Treasury to quickly obtain the materials.”
GOP-led congressional committees and Republican state attorneys general in Missouri, Wyoming and Texas have investigated ActBlue this year over similar allegations of fraudulent fundraising.
So-called “dummy” accounts have potentially contributed thousands of individual donations to Democratic causes.
Ex-Herman Cain Chief of Staff and Wisconsin Republican Strategist Mark Block Charged in an Explosive fraud case It was reported earlier this month that her identity was one of many that were stolen — and that this year it was used to make at least 385 donations worth $884.38 to the Harris Victory Fund and other left-wing committees Was.
Individual contributions of less than $200 do not need to be reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Until recently, ActBlue did not require Card Verification Value (CVV) for online transactions with debit cards, credit cards or prepaid gift cards – opening its portal to fraud and even illegal foreign contributions.
House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Still (R-Wis.) claimed in a letter Monday that his panel’s investigation found that China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela in particular “may exploit existing U.S. donors.” donate straw Without the knowledge of the persons or (ActBlue).”
The Administration Committee’s investigation revealed that, in some cases, hundreds of donations amounting to just $2.50 were recorded from a single person to ActBlue.
It also revealed that some donors contributed beyond their means or to the party opposite to the one they typically supported.
“We vigorously protect the security of our donors and enforce strict anti-fraud compliance policies,” an ActBlue spokesperson told The Post in a statement Monday. “We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform and are confident in our long-term reputation as a trusted and reliable digital fundraising platform.”
According to the Money-in-Politics tracker, ActBlue helped raise more than $2.2 billion for Democratic candidates and causes during the 2021-22 election cycle. OpenSecrets.com,
The platform has also helped Vice President Kamala Harris achieve her campaign as much as $46.7 million from donors using ActBlue just hours after he became the Democratic nominee to succeed President Biden.
In addition to Treasury, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FBI are briefing congressional committees on the matter.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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