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On Thursday, President Donald Trump escalated his offensive against his political adversaries by instructing the Department of Justice to probe ActBlue, an essential fundraising mechanism for Democratic and progressive entities.<\/p>\n
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The directive was issued through a memorandum signed by the president just before he departed for a fundraising event at his Virginia golf resort, which was poised to collect $1 million per attendee for MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC currently under scrutiny for allegedly accepting unlawful straw donations.<\/p>\n
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In the memorandum, Trump expressed his “concerns” regarding the potential for straw donations\u2014where contributions are made in the name of another person or entity\u2014and tasked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi with “investigating allegations concerning the illegal use of online fundraising platforms for making ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions, or foreign donations to political candidates and committees, and to enforce the law accordingly.”<\/p>\n
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Trump\u2019s directive referenced a recent accusation by House Republicans against ActBlue, claiming the platform showed “a lack of commitment to preventing fraud.” ActBlue, supported by House Democrats, vehemently disputed these claims, describing the report as “more of a desperate attempt to deflect attention than a legitimate report.”<\/p>\n
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“As his approval ratings plummet, this president is frantically trying to cripple his political rivals by cutting off their funding sources,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
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Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, remarked on Thursday that Trump\u2019s attack on ActBlue is an effort to shift focus from his own alleged corrupt activities.<\/p>\n
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Raskin outlined various accusations against Trump, including accepting illegal payments from foreign governments, shutting down an investigation into a supposed illicit $10 million bribe from Egypt during his campaign, and current investments in Trump-owned cryptocurrencies by foreign nationals, which seem aimed at circumventing federal probes through undisclosed transactions.<\/p>\n
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He also accused the Trump administration of weakening the Department of Justice\u2019s initiatives against foreign political corruption and showing a disregard for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations. “Thus, it’s quite ironic that Trump is now initiating a major effort to ‘combat foreign influence’ in U.S. politics with the sole aim of undermining the fundraising abilities of his political foes,” Raskin added.<\/p>\n
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“The presidential order issued today that targets the Democratic Party\u2019s campaign infrastructure without any substantiated allegations is precisely what you would expect from a tyrannical ruler in a Banana Republic. Trump, facing dismal approval ratings, is evidently attempting to sabotage his political opposition by blocking their fundraising capabilities,” Raskin continued.<\/p>\n
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Since its launch in 2004, ActBlue has facilitated the raising of nearly $17 billion, serving a wide array of Democratic candidates and progressive groups critical of Democratic leadership, like the Justice Democrats. (Common Dreams also utilizes ActBlue for processing donations.)<\/p>\n
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ActBlue reports that nearly 15 million Democratic donors have their payment details stored on the platform.<\/p>\n
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In response to the White House\u2019s actions, ActBlue condemned the move as “blatantly unlawful” and pledged to “pursue all legal options to defend itself.”<\/p>\n
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Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, described Trump\u2019s order to investigate as “authoritarianism in action.” In a collective response, Martin along with leaders from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association declared, “Trump’s memo against ActBlue aims to hinder democratic engagement, which is unsurprising given his administration’s disastrous policies that have destabilized the economy. As Democrats, we stand united with millions of Americans opposing Trump\u2019s severe misuse of power.”<\/p>\n\n\n