U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration
04/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/02/2026 12:09
Chairmen Steil, Jordan, and Comer Issue Statement Following New York Times Reporting that ActBlue May Have Misled Congress
Chairmen Steil, Jordan, and Comer Issue Statement Following New York Times Reporting that ActBlue May Have Misled Congress
April 2, 2026
WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (KY-01) issued the following statement after reporting from the New York Times alleged ActBlue may have misled Congress on how it vets foreign donations:
"Our investigation found ActBlue's internal fraud prevention measures were wholly insufficient for preventing illegal foreign campaign donations. Today's reporting reconfirms that finding and raises serious questions about whether ActBlue's CEO intentionally misled Congress at the onset of this investigation," said the Chairmen. "We will continue our investigation and keep all options on the table as we seek the truth."
The New York Times report is based on internal legal memos authored by the organization's former outside counsel, Covington and Burling. This firm employs several attorneys that previously held senior roles for Democrat government officials, including for President Biden.
According to the Times, the internal legal memos claimed that ActBlue did not always follow the fraud-prevention mechanisms detailed in ActBlue's initial response to Chairman Steil in 2023. The memos also allege that ActBlue staff were aware of the potential risks, which could pose additional legal issues given the contradictory statements made in the organization's 2023 response to Congress.
Background:
On October 31, 2023, following reports that ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform, was accepting political contributions without a card verification value (CVV), Chairman Steil sent a letter demanding answers on ActBlue's practices, questioning if they are complying with federal campaign finance laws and preventing foreign and illegal contributions.
On November 27, 2023, ActBlue responded to Chairman Steil's letter saying it did not require a CVV in order to contribute on their website.
On September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards. It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.
On September 11, 2024, the SHIELD Act passed the Committee on House Administration by a voice-vote.
On September 18, 2024, Chairman Steil sent letters to the Attorneys General from Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri, updating them on the Committee's investigation into ActBlue. Along with the letter, the Attorneys General received the data and evidence that the Committee has collected over the course of almost a year.
On October 28, 2024, Chairman Steil sent a letter to ActBlue demanding documents and information related to the platform's donor verification policies and potential vulnerabilities that foreign actors may exploit to illegally participate in the U.S. political process.
On October 30, 2024, Chairman Steil issued a subpoena to ActBlue for documents related to ActBlue's donor verification policies and the potential for foreign actors to use the platform to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.
On December 10, 2024, Chairman Steil released findings from his subpoena of ActBlue.
On March 10, 2025, Chairman Steil and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer and Rep. Langworthy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent requesting access to suspicious activity reports previously withheld by the Biden Administration.
On April 2, 2025, the Committee on House Administration, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a joint interim staff report that revealed ActBlue made its fraud-prevention rules "more lenient" twice in 2024-even though there is extensive fraud on the platform, including from foreign sources.
On April 2, 2025, the Committee on House Administration, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter to ActBlue requesting documents and transcribed interviews.
On June 25, 2025, Chairmen Steil, Comer and Jordan issued two subpoenas, to a current and a former ActBlue employee, after they both failed to comply with the Committees' request for transcribed interviews.
On July 22, 2025, Chairmen Steil, Comer, and Jordan issued a subpoena to ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones for materials related to the Committees' investigation into the fundraising platform.
On September 4, 2025, Chairmen Steil, Comer and Jordan issued subpoenas to one current and two former employees at ActBlue to appear for depositions.
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U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration published this content on April 02, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 02, 2026 at 18:09 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]