Overview

• President Trump signed a memorandum on April 24, 2025, directing the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue for alleged straw donor schemes and foreign contributions.
• Republican-led congressional committees have summoned contractors from fraud prevention firm Sift to testify about ActBlue’s past anti-fraud practices.
• ActBlue has implemented stricter anti-fraud measures since mid-2024, including banning foreign IP donations, requiring U.S. citizenship, and rejecting high-risk transactions.
• GOP investigations have identified minimal evidence of systemic fraud, with most flagged donations involving small amounts or being returned after detection.
• The narrative of fraud has been amplified by dark-money groups funded by Elon Musk, raising questions about partisan influence on the investigations.