With Election Day just around the corner, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a criminal complaint against the Biden administration’s Justice Department, accusing popular progressive fundraising platforms of interfering in the presidential election.
“My investigation uncovered evidence that malicious actors are likely using ActBlue’s platform to make illegal campaign contributions and engage in election fraud. That is illegal, and so is concealing one’s identity in order to flout election rules,” Paxton wrote in Thursday’s X-Post.
“The Department of Justice must take immediate action to prevent election fraud,” he said.
Texas begins investigation into ‘suspicious donations’ made to Harris campaign through Democratic group
FILE – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference in Dallas, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Texas attorney general said his office had discovered “highly questionable campaign contributions” made through online political committee contribution platforms. .
“This investigation uncovered alarming evidence that anonymous attackers are systematically contributing through ActBlue’s platform in the name of others,” Paxton wrote. “This conduct appears to be a crime on a number of counts, including under 18 USC 1343 (wire fraud), 18 USC 1028 (impersonation), and 52 USC 30122 (donations in the name of another).”
House Administration Committee investigates Democratic fundraiser ActBlue over illegal cash flow reporting
House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Steele is investigating a Democratic fundraising giant that helped Vice President Kamala Harris raise millions of dollars. (Getty Images)
The Hill first reported that ActBlue targets small donations and is an integral part of the Democratic Party’s fundraising structure, raising an estimated $1.5 billion from about 7 million donors. There is.
This influx of cash was distributed among about 19,000 campaigns, but an excess amount went to high-profile races. For example, according to ActBlue’s account on social platform X, donors gave her $200 million through the platform in the first few days of Harris’ campaign, The Hill reported.
In a letter to Garland, Paxton shared the petition with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and urged changes to close the alleged “loophole.” Paxton said these purported “loopholes” could be exploited to “illegally funnel money into U.S. elections.”
‘Serious loopholes’: Republicans expand probe into Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, which helped Harris raise millions of dollars
The petition was filed after Paxton began an investigation into ActBlue in December 2023 to determine whether the platform’s operations complied with all applicable laws.
Texas AG Ken Paxton is pursuing Democratic fundraising as Republicans outspend in key races. (Fox News)
In August 2024, Paxton disclosed that an investigation into ActBlue revealed that the organization had begun requiring donors using credit cards to provide a “CVV” code, a common security measure. revealed.
But Paxton said “straw donations” appear to be happening systematically, using false identities and through untraceable payment methods.
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“I have filed a criminal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice based on my findings against ActBlue,” Paxton said in a statement. Evidence has emerged that suggests that they are likely to be doing so.” “It is illegal to commit election fraud, and it is also illegal to conceal one’s identity in order to bypass election rules. The Department of Justice must take immediate action to prevent election fraud.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to ActBlue and the FEC for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
