GOP lawmaker warns ActBlue 'got caught' as foreign cash probe triggers Fifth Amendment pleas

A top House Republican accused Democratic fundraising powerhouse ActBlue of operating as a "money laundering operation," saying that millions of dollars in foreign contributions had flowed through the platform.

Speaking on the "Fox News Rundown" podcast, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said ongoing congressional investigations into the group have uncovered fraud-prevention failures and noted that several people affiliated with ActBlue have invoked the Fifth Amendment while being questioned by lawmakers.

"Well, [its clear] ActBlue had become a money laundering operation for the Democratic Party. And that's very unfortunate," Fallon told Fox News' Jessica Rosenthal. "Their compliance and fraud prevention was severely lacking, and they actually were training their employees to do almost no verifications," he added.

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Fallon pointed specifically to the platform's past policy of not requiring card verification value, or CVV, codes for some credit card donations, calling it a "huge red flag."

In a statement to ActBlue spokesperson DeAndra Roberts LaBoo pushed back against the GOP allegations, saying the investigation is part of a broader political attack.

"President Trump and his allies are engaged in a coordinated campaign of political retaliation and retribution against organizations that they believe threaten them — from universities and law firms to civil rights groups and philanthropies. Now, theyre working to target Democratic fundraising ahead of the midterms," Roberts LaBoo said. 

"ActBlue will not be intimidated, and we refuse to slow down. No other platform does more to protect the integrity of small-dollar democracy — regardless of party. Our platform has raised a record amount of midterm-cycle contributions. With more than a million new donors, Americans are stepping up and fighting back, giving an average contribution of just $36 to the candidates and causes they believe in," she added. 

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The Committee on House Administration, House Judiciary Committee and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are jointly investigating ActBlue's fraud-prevention practices and allegations involving illegal foreign donations.

According to sources familiar with the matter, ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis invoked the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door House deposition. ActBlue board member Kimberly Peeler-Allen during a separate deposition.

"If they were on the up and up, then why is everyone that used to work for ActBlue taking the Fifth Amendment?" Fallon asked. "Also, why did their entire compliance team leave ActBlue after the 2024 election? I'm talking everybody. Because some shady things were going on, and they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and now they're running for the hills."

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