When it comes to money, Democrats might as well be singing “Come Fly With Me”—and ActBlue is the private jet. The political fundraising platform, which funnels cash to Democratic candidates and causes, just confessed something jaw-dropping to Congress: It hasn’t been bothering to verify whether donations came from the United States or, say, Mars.
That’s right. Your grandma has to prove her ID to buy cold medicine, but apparently, foreign donors can send political contributions across the internet faster than you can say “campaign finance laws.”
ActBlue sees no borders, literally.
While most of us assume that a system designed to handle millions in political donations would have safeguards against illegal foreign contributions – ActBlue seems to have taken a more “meh” approach.
According to Just the News [1], ActBlue confirmed that until this September, it didn’t block unverified pre- paid credit cards, which are as traceable as Monopoly money. So, who’s to say where all this cash is coming from? Russia? China? A suspiciously wealthy goat farm in Luxembourg? No one knows, and ActBlue isn’t in a rush to find out.
Regulations? What regulations?
Under federal law, it’s illegal for foreign nationals to donate to U.S. elections. But what’s a little rule- breaking when there are elections win?
Meanwhile, Democratic candidates conveniently benefited from ActBlue’s actions. Is it ignorance? Negligence? Or just good old-fashioned looking the other way? Whatever it is, it’s working out GREAT for their fundraising totals. Since 2004, ActBlue has raised about $2 billion for their Democrat friends.
“Oops, we didn’t check” isn’t a great defense.
ActBlue’s revelation has left campaign finance watchdogs shaking their heads and Republicans calling for investigations. But for Democrats, it’s just another day at the virtual office. While they clutch their pearls over election interference, they plot to figure out how they can beat their opponents without anyone being the wiser.
The bottom line? If Democrats want to preach about election integrity, maybe they should start with their own wallet. As for ActBlue, their slogan might need a tweak: “Democracy in Action – No Passport Required.”