The winds of justice might finally be blowing in the direction of accountability for the shadowy practices of campaign fundraising, particularly in the context of ActBlue’s operations. The recent legal developments are not just procedural victories but beacon lights of hope that the integrity of our electoral system might be safeguarded against illicit contributions.
Several Republican state Attorneys General have launched investigations into ActBlue, signaling a serious concern over potential malfeasance in campaign finance. But the real breakthrough came when Mark Block, a Republican consultant, discovered that his identity was hijacked to funnel unauthorized contributions to Democratic campaigns, including Kamala Harris’s. His lawsuit in Wisconsin against ActBlue has now pierced through a significant legal barrier.
The decision by Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad D. Schimel to approve a subpoena against ActBlue is a landmark moment. It’s not just about one man’s identity being misused; it’s a stand against the potential for widespread fraud in political fundraising. Judge Schimel’s acknowledgment that “something is not right” reflects a judicial recognition of the gravity of these allegations. By allowing discovery, the court is effectively saying, “Let’s see the evidence,” which is a crucial step toward transparency in political finance.
HotAir: ActBlue in Trouble?
ActBlue is the Democratic Party’s main fundraising arm, and it is a cesspool of fraud and corruption.
It’s not like this is a particular secret. It is common knowledge in political circles that the organization facilitates “smurfing,” which is a method of laundering illegal campaign contributions through straw donors. It is a way to break up enormous political contributions that exceed campaign contribution limits into smaller donations that evade scrutiny.
Over the years the organization has gotten ever more blatant, laundering contributions through the identities of real people by making contributions in their names without their knowledge. By now the amount of money involved is likely in the billions in fraudulent poitical donations.
Several Attorneys General from Republican states have opened up investigations, and now Mark Block, a Republican who discovered that his identity was used to launder campaign contributions to Kamala Harris, is suing ActBlue in Wisconsin. ActBlue was fighting discovery, and a judge just knocked them down.
For the first time, a Wisconsin court has approved a subpoena to the massive Democrat fund-raising platform ActBlue, saying it owes an explanation to a Republican whose email identity was used to make liberal donations he did not authorize.
“Something is not right,” Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad D. Schimel declared as he approved a limited demand for documents and opened a new front into a widening fund-raising probe begun earlier this year by Congress and 19 attorneys general.
Schimel rejected ActBlue’s arguments that it was onerous to require it to comply a subpoena for third-party donations it processed on its platform. The judge permitted GOP consultant Mark Block and his lawyers from America First Policy Institute to conduct discovery to determine if fraud was involved in the use of his identity to make dozens of Democrat donations on his old email address.
“I get the argument that this is an assumption on plaintiff’s part that the donations are fraudulent,” the judge stated in a hearing Nov. 21. “There may be an element of fraud or maybe it is innocent. Plaintiff has set forth enough in their complaint and in support of their subpoena to demonstrate that there may be something here.”
ActBlue’s resistance to this discovery was based on claims of inconvenience, but this has been rightly dismissed. The court’s decision to uphold Block’s right to investigate further into whether his identity was used fraudulently is a testament to the principle that no organization, regardless of political affiliation or size, should be above scrutiny. The judge’s balanced perspective, recognizing the possibility of both fraud or innocence, ensures a fair examination of the facts.
New York Post, October 29, 2024: Treasury finds hundreds of transactions linked to fundraising platform ActBlue flagged by banks: GOP memo
The Treasury Department has found records of hundreds of transactions linked to Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue that have been flagged by banks as potentially suspicious, according to a congressional memo exclusively obtained by The Post.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer briefed his panel’s Republican members last week on the “potentially fraudulent and illicit financial activity” involving the political donations portal following briefings with Treasury Department staff.
Those records could include evidence of money laundering, fraudulent or counterfeit use of credit or debit cards, wire transfer fraud, identity theft or other financial crimes flagged since Jan. 1, 2023, in Suspicious Activity Reports that financial institutions file with the federal government.
GOP-led congressional committees and Republican state attorneys general in Missouri, Texas and Wyoming have probed ActBlue this year over similar allegations of fraudulent fundraising.
So-called “dummy” accounts have potentially made thousands of individual donations to Democratic causes.
Ex-Herman Cain chief of staff and Wisconsin Republican strategist Mark Block alleged in an explosive racketeering lawsuit earlier this month that his identity was one of many that had been stolen — and used this year to make at least 385 donations worth $884.38 to the Harris Victory Fund and other left-wing committees.
This legal action could pave the way for uncovering systemic issues with how contributions are processed, reported, and ultimately, how they might influence elections. If ActBlue has indeed been a conduit for illegal or fraudulent donations, this lawsuit might force a reevaluation of current practices, perhaps even leading to legislative reforms to tighten the loopholes in campaign finance laws.
We should celebrate this moment not for partisan reasons but for the prospect of upholding the sanctity of our democratic processes. The integrity of our elections must be beyond reproach, and every step towards ensuring that contributions are made legally, transparently, and with consent is a step worth celebrating. Here’s to hoping that this legal scrutiny brings about the justice and reforms needed to restore confidence in our electoral system.