Officials at ActBlue, the massive Democrat fundraising platform, say they regret their silent response to fraud accusations made by Donald Trump and his allies.
Republicans have launched attacks on the PAC for several years, accusing it of improperly accepting campaign donations, including foreign donations, in direct violation of U.S. campaign finance law.
In response, ActBlue has maintained a low profile while denying the allegations that they have branded “baseless” and “deeply political in nature.”
But those attacks have gotten more aggressive, with Trump last month signing an executive order directing the attorney general to investigate those allegations.
Now, Regina Wallace–Jones, the CEO of ActBlue, is acknowledging that it made a mistake in staying quiet in the face of the attacks.
“We have always seen ourselves as such a good actor in this space. And because of that, I think that we almost were in a, ‘This can’t be real, this can’t be serious. These are not serious people, these are not serious allegations.’ And instead held on for a very long time to our traditional posture, which is to be background plumbing,” Wallace–Jones told Politico.
“It’s only now that we are taking the position that our silence is actually hurting the perception of who we really are,” Wallace-Jones said.
ActBlue is the largest fundraising platform for Democrats, raising more than $16 billion for Democratic candidates since it was founded in 2004.
But it has faced questions about its security measures and how it prevents foreign nationals from donating to it.
The allegations came to a head in March, before Trump’s executive order, when the New York Times reported that the fundraising platform was facing “internal chaos” due to a mass exodus of employees.
Trump allies then elevated concerns about ActBlue.
Elon Musk claimed something “stinks” about ActBlue. GOP Representative Darrell Issa also asked the Treasury Department to investigate ActBlue and its charitable arm for facilitating payments “linked to terrorism,” such as pro-Palestinian organizations.
ActBlue has denied allegations of wrongdoing and says it adheres to “rigorous standards of compliance,” including not permitting foreign nationals to contribute.
But Trump’s executive order targeting the platform has launched it into the spotlight, which it has been forced to reckon with.
Over the last month, Wallace–Jones has engaged with the media, including Pod Save America, MSNBC, Politico and more, hoping to combat rumors fueled by Trump’s recent executive order.
Wallace–Jones told Politico that going forward, ActBlue will be “more vocal” about how it is a trusted platform for donors.
