There are only two major players in the world of political fundraising: WinRed for Republicans and ActBlue for Democrats. ActBlue was the first digital fundraising platform that set the standard for the left. WinRed is the answer. ActBlue is used by all Democrats and has processed billions in donations from leftist candidates and political action committees.
ActBlue’s shady practices may not have been so well-deserved. Some GOP lawmakers are now taking notice. In August, we reported that ActBlue had been accused of “skirting” campaign donation laws by whistleblowers. This led the Committee on House Administration (R-WI), headed up by Rep. Bryan Steil to take action.
Steil, in a letter to the top officials of the Federal Election Commission on Monday, urged them to: “immediately implement an emergency rulemaking requiring political campaigns to verify card verification values (‘CVVs’) for donors who make online contributions using a debit or credit card and to prohibit campaigns from accepting online donations from gift cards or another prepaid card.”
19 Attorneys General have launched their investigation, alleging ActBlue’s involvement in money laundering, also known as “surfing”.
Proud to partner with 19 attorneys general in investigating whether ActBlue is facilitating “smurfing”––a type of money laundering in which donors break up large donations and submit them under different names.
Secure elections are vital to our republic.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) October 1, 2024
Smurfing can be defined as “a technique of money laundering that involves the splitting of large sums of cash into small transactions”. These small transactions are often spread over multiple accounts to avoid detection and stay within regulatory reporting limits. Criminals who use Smurfing to avoid financial reporting requirements do so by using small cumulative transactions.
ActBlue’s outside attorney is being questioned by state attorneys general, who claim that citizens “deserve to know” that those providing election-related funding are adhering to State and Federal laws. They also maintain that it is important to know if large-scale donations made by one of America’s largest fundraising vendors are “being solicited, processed, and handled in compliance with state and federal laws on campaign finance and consumer protection.”
ActBlue’s involvement in smurfing would constitute blatant interference in elections and give Democrats an unfair advantage in their crucial fundraising war. The Patriot Act granted law enforcement agencies authority to combat money laundering through the implementation of reporting requirements for deposits exceeding $10,000. It’s unlikely that the group of attorneys general in each state will ever stop their investigation, given they have this authority. They’ve asked for the answers to be delivered before October 23, 2024 – well ahead of Election Day.
