Trump Targets "ActBlue" in New Presidential Memorandum
The anticipated action is set to take place on Thursday.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump is set to sign a presidential memorandum on Thursday aimed at enforcing stricter regulations on foreign contributions in American elections, targeting ActBlue, the left's key online donation platform. This information comes from a source familiar with the policy, speaking anonymously about details that have not yet been made public.
The crackdown is expected to involve Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, though specific mechanisms of enforcement have not been disclosed. The memorandum is likely to focus particularly on ActBlue, which Republicans argue is susceptible to foreign interference.
Democrats have been anticipating possible action from the White House against ActBlue, viewing it as an unjustified assault on their fundraising capabilities. In an email to Democratic members on Wednesday discussing the anticipated actions from the White House, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones stated, “Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy. There is an ongoing and persistent effort to weaken the confidence of the American people in what’s possible. This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’”
ActBlue later responded to inquiries from PMG, asserting, “ActBlue plays a vital role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy and the organization strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities. We will always stand steadfast in defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy and ActBlue will continue its mission undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fundraising platform for the millions of grassroots donors who rely on us.”
In October, Rep. Bryan Steil, chair of the House Committee on Administration, reached out to ActBlue for documents concerning how the platform verifies its donors, expressing concerns over the adequacy of protections against foreign donations.
Federal law forbids any contributions, donations, expenditures, or disbursements from foreign nationals and governments in U.S. elections at all levels—federal, state, or local.
In December, Steil reported that the documents provided by ActBlue revealed the company had instituted new policies to “automatically reject donations that use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined.” He described this as a “positive step forward” but noted that “there is still more work to be done.”
ActBlue reiterated in a December press release that its “robust security program and strict fraud prevention measures help us rigorously protect donors’ information, root out potentially unlawful foreign contributions, protect donors from financial fraud, and flag potentially unlawful or fraudulent activity.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
The crackdown is expected to involve Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, though specific mechanisms of enforcement have not been disclosed. The memorandum is likely to focus particularly on ActBlue, which Republicans argue is susceptible to foreign interference.
Democrats have been anticipating possible action from the White House against ActBlue, viewing it as an unjustified assault on their fundraising capabilities. In an email to Democratic members on Wednesday discussing the anticipated actions from the White House, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones stated, “Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy. There is an ongoing and persistent effort to weaken the confidence of the American people in what’s possible. This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’”
ActBlue later responded to inquiries from PMG, asserting, “ActBlue plays a vital role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy and the organization strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities. We will always stand steadfast in defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy and ActBlue will continue its mission undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fundraising platform for the millions of grassroots donors who rely on us.”
In October, Rep. Bryan Steil, chair of the House Committee on Administration, reached out to ActBlue for documents concerning how the platform verifies its donors, expressing concerns over the adequacy of protections against foreign donations.
Federal law forbids any contributions, donations, expenditures, or disbursements from foreign nationals and governments in U.S. elections at all levels—federal, state, or local.
In December, Steil reported that the documents provided by ActBlue revealed the company had instituted new policies to “automatically reject donations that use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined.” He described this as a “positive step forward” but noted that “there is still more work to be done.”
ActBlue reiterated in a December press release that its “robust security program and strict fraud prevention measures help us rigorously protect donors’ information, root out potentially unlawful foreign contributions, protect donors from financial fraud, and flag potentially unlawful or fraudulent activity.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
