WASHINGTON — Home Republican committee chairmen are demanding information from a regulation agency that previously labored on behalf of ActBlue however was fired after which allegedly “smeared” by the Democratic fundraising platform for sounding the alarm about doubtlessly international donations flowing to campaigns.
In a Thursday letter, Home GOP chairmen on of the Administration, Judiciary and Oversight Committees wrote to Covington & Burling accomplice Dana Remus to request paperwork and communications “referring or referring to the potential or precise use of ActBlue to make fraudulent or unlawful political contributions.”
“We now have obtained the letter, and the agency is reviewing it,” a Covington & Burling spokesperson informed The Publish.
Remus’ agency issued a memo to ActBlue in early 2025 that warned the fundraising platform’s shifting fraud requirements “be alleged that ActBlue accepted and/or facilitated the acceptance of foreign-national contributions into American elections,” in violation of federal regulation, in line with The New York Occasions.
One other Covington & Burling memo indicated ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones might have made “false or deceptive” statements to the Republican committees about its fraud vetting, per The Occasions.
“After you delivered these warnings, ActBlue reportedly ‘terminated’ its relationship with you and smeared you publicly,” the letter acknowledged.
“As a result of you have got firsthand details about ActBlue’s response to allegations of pervasive fraud on its platform, the Committees write to request your voluntary cooperation with our oversight efforts.”
Federal regulation prohibits non-citizens from donating to election campaigns.
“Because of ActBlue’s continued obstruction of this investigation, the Committees are in search of to acquire info essential to our oversight from different sources,” the letter mentioned.
All information from Remus have been requested by July 9.
On Monday, the three GOP committees threatened contempt proceedings if ActBlue doesn’t reply to its personal information requests.
“ActBlue has and can proceed to meet its authorized obligations. We now have produced a big quantity of related supplies for the Committees on a rolling foundation for months,” a spokesperson responded.
“Sadly, the Committees at the moment are engaged in an abuse of their oversight authority by demanding disclosure of sure confidential lawyer shopper privileged paperwork. Regardless of the extremely partisan nature of those investigations, we’ll proceed to cooperate with the Committees whereas exercising our nicely established rights to guard delicate privileged info.”
ActBlue has helped Democratic campaigns and causes elevate greater than $19 billion because it was based in 2004, with practically $2 billion of these funds going to Democrats throughout the 2024 election.
Inner information, obtained by The Publish final yr, confirmed ActBlue made its fraud requirements “extra lenient” in that marketing campaign cycle.
Wallace-Jones invoked the Fifth Modification and declined to reply questions in a public listening to with the Administration panel on June 10 about whether or not international donations had been funneled to Democratic campaigns throughout the 2024 election.
She individually accused the three GOP chairmen of “abusing their energy to focus on ActBlue” and emphasised that taking the Fifth was “not an admission — and even an insinuation — of guilt,” in line with a video assertion posted on the platform’s web site.
“This investigation isn’t actually about advancing legislative proposals. If it had been, as we speak’s listening to would come with the Republican fundraising platform WinRed. This blatant hypocrisy should not be ignored,” the ActBlue CEO additionally wrote in a Washington Publish op-ed the identical day as her congressional look.
Remus labored as White Home counsel below former President Joe Biden till July 2022 earlier than becoming a member of Covington & Burling.
