President Donald Trump has ordered the Justice Department to open an investigation into the Democratic Party’s main fundraising platform. This move escalates his use of government power against political rivals.
In an executive order signed Thursday, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe Republican-alleged claims that ActBlue facilitates illegal campaign donations.
Democrats, who had anticipated such a move, swiftly denounced the action. ActBlue, for its part, condemned the investigation as an “oppressive use of power” by the Trump White House.
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“The Trump Administration’s and GOP’s targeting of ActBlue is part of their brazen attack on democracy in America. Today’s escalation by the White House is blatantly unlawful and needs to be seen for what it is: Donald Trump’s latest front in his campaign to stamp out all political, electoral and ideological opposition,” ActBlue declared in a statement.
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Vowing resilience, ActBlue said it would pursue “all legal avenues to protect and defend itself” and added, “ActBlue will continue its mission and work undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fundraising platform for the millions of grassroots donors who rely on us.”
Trump’s directive tasks Bondi, in consultation with the Treasury Department, to examine whether online fundraising platforms, with ActBlue named specifically, have enabled “straw” or “dummy” donations or allowed foreign money to flow into U.S. political campaigns.
The order mandates findings from the investigation to be delivered within 180 days.
Since assuming office, Trump has repeatedly wielded governmental authority against opponents, stripping security clearances and punishing law firms connected to prosecutors or adversaries aligned against him.
ActBlue, a staple of Democratic fundraising for over twenty years, has driven waves of small-dollar contributions to left-leaning candidates and causes. Its runaway success eventually spurred Republicans to launch their own fundraising platform, WinRed — notably untouched by Trump’s latest order.
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Applauding the move, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement, “The Democrats’ Dark Money scam has gone on long enough.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, and Democratic Governors Association Chair Laura Kelly issued a joint rebuke.
“Donald Trump’s memorandum targeting ActBlue is designed to undermine democratic participation — and it’s no wonder why,” their statement read. “He knows Americans are already fed up with his chaotic agenda that is driving the economy off a cliff, so he’s trying to block lawful grassroots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration.”
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