Washington – On Monday, top Republican chairs of the House Judiciary, Administration, and Oversight committees sent a letter to ActBlue attorney Ronald Machen requesting a closed‑door interview before Oct. 9. The letter, signed by Chairman Jim Jordan (R‑Wis.), Chairman Bryan Steil (R‑Wis.) and Chairman James Comer (R‑Ky.), alleges that ActBlue’s donor‑verification practices may have allowed contributions from foreign nationals to flow into Democratic campaigns.
Letter cites contradictory statements and lax verification
The GOP committees say Machen’s earlier briefing to the House on Sept. 11, 2026, conflicted with data the committees have gathered, particularly regarding ActBlue’s passport‑number verification process. According to the letter, ActBlue’s system only requires the correct number of characters for a U.S. passport, not a valid passport number, before accepting a donation.
Furthermore, the letter references a 2024 review conducted by former White House Counsel Dana Remus, who served as ActBlue’s outside counsel at the time. Remus reportedly concluded that there was “a substantial risk that some of the funds raised for Democratic campaigns and causes by ActBlue were impermissible contributions from foreign nationals.” The review also found that passport checks were sometimes omitted, especially when donors used third‑party payment platforms such as Apple Pay or PayPal.
Republican chairs question ActBlue’s compliance claims
Committee leaders argue that Machen’s prior comments to Congress downplayed the significance of these findings. The letter states that Machen “conceded that your ‘forensic’ review found that ActBlue processed and accepted donations with foreign indicators even though ActBlue failed to identify a ‘passport number’ or other indicia of eligibility for the donor.”
ActBlue’s CEO Regina Wallace‑Jones has repeatedly asserted that the platform’s compliance and vetting policy is “as close to 100 percent as it could be.” The GOP chairs dispute that claim, pointing to documents that allegedly show ActBlue employees could enter placeholder text—such as “ACTBLUEXX”—into the passport‑number field, allowing subsequent contributions without a verified U.S. passport.
Calls for tighter election‑donation rules
The committees also note that Machen’s review focused only on 2023 data, omitting potential issues from the 2024 election cycle. According to the letter, ActBlue relaxed its vetting practices twice in 2024, a detail not captured in Machen’s limited analysis.
Republican leaders say these findings underscore the need for stronger federal legislation to tighten election‑donation rules and ensure that foreign money cannot influence U.S. campaigns.
ActBlue’s response
ActBlue responded to Fox News Digital, rejecting the GOP’s allegations. “There’s nothing to see here,” the organization said. “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. Instead, they are orchestrating another political stunt before rushing out of town weeks early to go campaign. This coordinated campaign against ActBlue isn’t about the facts, or legislating, it’s about Republicans’ efforts to silence organizations they believe threaten their agenda.”
The platform emphasized that it has improved its verification standards since the investigation began and maintains that it complies with all applicable campaign‑finance laws.
Next steps
The upcoming interview with Machen will be conducted behind closed doors, and the committees have indicated that a subpoena could follow if they deem it necessary. The investigation remains ongoing, and both parties await further documentation before any legislative action is taken.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
