After President Donald Trump’s announcement of a Department of Justice investigation into ActBlue, a major Democrat fundraising platform, for alleged fraud schemes, Democrats are doubling down in support of the platform and using the investigation as a fundraising tool.
“We’ve never seen anything like this. And right now, I need your help,” reads a digital fundraising ad from Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “We need to raise as much as we can, as quickly as we can.”
The White House released a memorandum Thursday directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue and allegations of “straw” donations and money sent from foreign actors.
Trump is hitting Democrats where it hurts. In 2023 and 2024, ActBlue raised a combined $3.82 billion, per Federal Election Commission filings.
In an October 2023 letter to ActBlue, House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said foreign actors from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China could use the platform to launder illicit money for use in U.S. political campaigns.
Democrats responded to the first reports of the memo vociferously.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.—who argued that this investigation is unfair without an accompanying investigation into WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform—called it “an attempt to starve our movement of resources.”
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., also used the memo as a fundraising opportunity, writing in a digital ad, “Can you chip in right now and help us fight back against this wannabe fascist?” He linked to ActBlue in the ad.
“This is what oligarchy and fascism feels like,” reads another fundraising email from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
“Will you donate $5 right now to power Alexandria’s fight against Trump’s extremism?”
Other Democrats who fundraised off the memo include Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Mark Warner of Virginia, as well as Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas.
Elizabeth Troutman-Mitchell contributed to this report.
