One of the biggest Democratic fundraising platforms is embroiled in a massive scandal after it was revealed that it had facilitated payments to groups that were allegedly associated with terrorist activity, which led a Republican congressman to call for an investigation into the platform based on the speculation that its payments could “support terror.”
For context, on March 10, 2025, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) wrote a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which the Republican representative raised concerns regarding ActBlue, one of the largest Democratic fundraising platforms in the country. In the letter, Rep. Issa made it clear that ActBlue has facilitated payments to questionable organizations, including some that allegedly were affiliated with terrorists.
In his letter to Secretary Bessent, Rep. Issa began by calling attention to the “credible allegations” against ActBlue, which he described as “mounting evidence” that was piling up against the organization. He added, “It is imperative that the Department of the Treasury investigate whether ActBlue Charities had reason to know it was handling payments that could support terror.”
Continuing, Rep. Issa referred to a September 7, 2023, article in the Washington Examiner that linked ActBlue to an anti-Israel organization. According to Washington Examiner reporter Gabe Kaminsky, ActBlue had been partnered with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel “since at least 2021.” Kaminsky added that the group was “a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions National Committee that is affiliated with entities designated by the United States as terrorist groups.”
In response to the allegations presented by Kaminsky and the Washington Examiner, Rep. Issa said that the Biden-Harris Administration had “refused to respond to this explosive revelation,” adding, “It must be noted that the relationship between ActBlue Charities and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was first exposed and brought to ActBlue Charities’ attention in 2021.”
Moreover, Rep. Issa explained that after ActBlue was made aware of the possible links to terrorist activity, they “continued to provide their services until 2023.” In addition, the congressman argued, “It can only be concluded that any action taken by ActBlue Charities was as a result of media scrutiny, not a sense of opposition to anti-Israel and antisemitic activities.”
Moving on, Rep. Issa asked Secretary Bessent to answer key questions about ActBlue and its alleged relationship with at least one terrorist group. The congressman wrote, ” Is the Treasury Department aware of the longstanding association between ActBlue Charities and terror-linked entities?” He continued, “If so, have these arrangements been reviewed to determine whether funds are flowing from Americans to terrorist organizations?”
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In response to the ActBlue allegations, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on April 24, 2025, calling for a formal investigation into “unlawful ‘straw donor’ and foreign contributions in American elections,” focusing on ActBlue and directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to “report back to me through the Counsel to the President within 180 days of the date of this memorandum on the results of the investigation.”
Featured image credit: Rep. Darrell Issa via X