A Democratic Party-linked donation scandal erupted this week, with less than two weeks until the general election.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the Federal Election Commission Monday to investigate ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s primary online fundraising platform, amid record-breaking donations to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
The petition follows a year-long investigation by Paxton’s office, which claims to have uncovered evidence of “straw donations” made through prepaid credit cards and false identities.
The timing coincides with Harris polling slipping behind former President Trump across the nation, especially inside critical swing states.
“Our investigation into ActBlue has uncovered facts indicating that bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations,” Paxton said in a statement.
Paxton’s office warned there is the potential that foreign contributions are illegally bypassing campaign finance regulations.
ActBlue has collected an estimated $1.5 billion from about 7 million donors this election cycle, with Harris receiving $200 million through the platform in her campaign’s first days. The platform’s third quarter was its largest ever, processing over 31 million contributions to more than 18,000 campaigns.
The Democratic Party platform dismissed the investigation as “nothing more than a partisan political attack and scare tactic to undermine the power of Democratic and progressive small-dollar donors.”
A spokesperson said ActBlue “rigorously protects our donors’ security, maintains strong protections, and enforces strict anti-fraud compliance policies.”
The investigation follows a pattern of Republican scrutiny of ActBlue that intensified after Harris’s record July fundraising.
Right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk called for state investigations days after Harris’s $200 million haul, and twenty Republican state attorneys general have joined in criticizing the platform.
While ActBlue implemented CVV verification requirements in August, Paxton is pushing for additional security measures, including cross-checking donor information with card-issuing banks.
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has introduced legislation requiring stricter verification measures, though critics argue this could limit political participation from people without traditional banking access.
The House Oversight Committee and Senator Marco Rubio have also raised concerns about ActBlue’s practices, with investigations spanning both federal and state jurisdictions.