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Donald Trump directed the Justice Department on Thursday to investigate the primary fundraising platform used by Democrats. They responded by accusing him of simply using the government as a weapon against his political rivals.
The Republican leader has signed a memo instructing Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida, to investigate alleged foreign and illicit payments made to platforms such as ActBlue. ActBlue is used by Democrats for processing donations to online campaigns and causes.
The Republican stated that he wanted to investigate the use of fundraising platforms for making ‘dummy or phony’ contributions, and foreign contributions made to U.S. candidates and committees. All of these are illegal.
Trump’s order called for a wide-ranging investigation. He specifically mentioned ActBlue, an organization whose platform is a small-dollar juggernaut, but has been the subject of Republican accusations.
Elon Musk, a top Trump adviser, tweeted about ActBlue in March. He accused it of fraud.
The Democrats may find it difficult to compete at the midterm elections in 2020, which will determine who controls Congress until the end of Trump’s second term, if they are unable to combat the liberal cause.
U.S. laws prohibit straw donations, or contributions made in the names of others. Foreign contributions are also prohibited.
Trump’s memorandum drew accusations that he was abusing power for political and personal ends.
ActBlue’s popularity among Republicans increased during the 2020 elections, as a result of an avalanche of personal contributions. Polls also showed that voters were tired of dark money and corporate influences in politics.
On April 2, three House committees – judiciary, administration, and oversight – released a report claiming that “extensive fraudulent activity… including foreign sources” was occurring on ActBlue. They also accused the platform of lowering their prevention efforts.
According to the investigation, almost 500 pages in internal ActBlue documents that were released along with its report “demonstrate an unwillingness to stop fraud and paint a portrait of complacency.”
Some Democrats, such as Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, rushed to encourage donations from supporters, “while we can”, while others took to Twitter to accuse Trump of abusing his position.
Mike Nellis posted on X that “His approval ratings are tanking and he is panicking about midterms.” Nellis was a top aide to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign in 2024.
“This is all about his billionaire friends buying more elections, while silencing grassroots supporters and tearing down Dems’ infrastructure.”
Sawyer Hackett, a fellow Democratic strategist and consultant, said that the move may be “Trump’s most authoritarian act yet.”
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