Paxton also claims that JetBlue accepts improper donations from people outside of the United States, as well as individuals who have already met mandated contribution limits. He opened an investigation into ActBlue in December 2023 and, a year later, sent a letter to the Federal Elections Commission claiming that he had uncovered evidence that “bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing ActBlue, a political fundraising platform primarily used by Democrats, of evading rules related to campaign donations originating outside the United States.
According to The Texas Tribune, the lawsuit is the latest in a string of investigations that both Paxton and Congress have taken against ActBlue in the past several years. Paxton is now asking a Tarrant County judge to stop the company from accepting donations via gift cards and prepaid debit cards. He has also requested that ActBlue face fines of up to $10,000 per alleged violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
“As the New York Times recently reported, ActBlue’s own outside counsel acknowledged that the organization’s representations about its donation safeguards were not true,” Paxton’s office said in a press release. “Further, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that certain safeguards are not consistently implemented, creating a substantial risk that impermissible foreign contributions may have been processed.”
The press released noted that “investigators from the Office of the Attorney General were able to prove that ActBlue continues to process gift card donations, despite the company’s representations that the opposite is true. ActBlue’s acceptance of gift cards and prepaid debit cards allows for fraudulent donations due to the lack of identification required. ActBlue’s misrepresentations could lead to entities utilizing its services to violate state and federal election laws.”
Paxton also claims that JetBlue accepts improper donations from people outside of the United States, as well as individuals who have already met mandated contribution limits. He opened an investigation into ActBlue in December 2023 and, a year later, sent a letter to the Federal Elections Commission claiming that he had uncovered evidence that “bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations.”
A spokesperson for ActBlue has since said that the company is an industry leader in security and has taken more steps to prevent improper donations than any similar platform.
“If [Paxton] and his Republican allies actually cared about donor fraud, they would work to strengthen security standards across the board, including within their own operations, rather than targeting ActBlue,” spokesperson De’Andra Roberts-LaBoo told The Texas Tribune. “This is a thinly-veiled attempt to distract from Ken Paxton’s numerous legal and ethical issues ahead of next month’s runoff.”
Sources
New House Report Details ActBlue’s ‘Illicit Foreign Donations’ And A ‘Cover-Up’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Democratic donor platform ActBlue
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