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Several prominent progressives — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed — continue raising campaign cash through the embattled fundraising platform ActBlue despite congressional investigations into allegations it failed to stop illegal foreign donations from entering U.S. political campaigns.
The fundraising behemoth has been thrust back into the spotlight after a recent viral video showed an 88-year-old Michigan woman disputing nearly $150,000 in political donations attributed to her in federal campaign finance records. She acknowledged using ActBlue to make political donations but disputed nearly the amount attributed to her. Federal Election Commission records attribute more than 15,000 contributions by the woman over a six-year period.
ActBlue says it has processed more than $19 billion in donations since it was founded in 2004, making it one of the largest online fundraising platforms serving mostly Democratic candidates, party committees and progressive organizations. It brands itself as a grassroots fundraising platform that is a “counterweight to the dark money special interests that dominate our politics.”
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Republicans argue the platform has become vulnerable to fraud and illegal foreign donations. Since 2023, House committees have conducted an ongoing investigation into ActBlue’s fraud-prevention practices and whether its safeguards adequately prevented illegal foreign and fraudulent contributions. ActBlue denies the allegations and any wrongdoing.
An April 2025 interim staff report also cited internal ActBlue records showing the platform detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using domestic prepaid cards during a 30-day period in late 2024, a pattern the committees described as a leading indicator of fraud.
The congressional investigation remains ongoing, and ActBlue has not been found to have violated campaign finance laws or been prohibited from processing political donations.
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A fundraising juggernaut
ActBlue has evolved from a simple donation processor into one of the Democratic Party’s most powerful fundraising platforms.
According to its website, ActBlue provides fundraising, organizing, campaign websites, voter outreach and other digital tools for thousands of Democratic candidates and progressive organizations, describing its mission as creating technology to “fuel Democratic wins.”
ActBlue continues to process donations for some of the Democratic Party’s highest-profile campaigns, including El-Sayed, who has been endorsed by Sanders, I-Vt. Sanders’ campaign website also directs supporters to ActBlue to donate to El-Sayed’s campaign.
The platform also processes donations for the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and thousands of other Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. Its “Trending Campaigns” page currently highlights El-Sayed alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Texas state Rep. James Talarico, Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Other prominent progressives who continue using ActBlue include Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor, and former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who is running to return to Congress.
Beyond candidate campaigns, ActBlue has become a central fundraising platform for thousands of Democratic committees, progressive organizations and advocacy groups.
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The Republican National Committee says Democratic candidates should explain why they continue relying on ActBlue despite the congressional investigation and allegations from donors who say contributions were made in their names without their knowledge.
“Democrats claim to oppose special interests with one exception: their own. They defend fraud and schemes like ActBlue because they know cheating the system is the only way for their corrupt campaigns to raise money,” Ally Triolo, the RNC’s election integrity communications director, told Fox News Digital.
ActBlue has denied wrongdoing and the ongoing congressional investigation has not resulted in any finding that the platform engaged in fraud or violated campaign finance laws.
Michigan donor dispute
One of the cases fueling the renewed scrutiny involves 88-year-old Milan, Michigan, resident Elizabeth Waffle, who acknowledged making donations through ActBlue but disputed donating nearly $150,000 attributed to her in a now-viral interview with the Michigan Enjoyer.
Fox News Digital independently reviewed Federal Election Commission records attributing more than 16,000 political contributions totaling nearly $150,000 between September 2020 and June 2026 to an Elizabeth Waffle of Milan, Michigan. During the interview, a reporter presented Waffle with what he said were Federal Election Commission records documenting those contributions. Waffle disputed the nearly $150,000 in political donations attributed to her in those records after a reporter arrived unannounced at her trailer and presented her with records he said were from the Federal Election Commission during the interview.
“One hundred and fifty thousand? Hell no. I don’t have that kind of money,” Waffle said. “I don’t see $150,000. That’s very abnormal and I think it’s wrong. I think there’s something in there that’s off.”
Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital attribute 47 ActBlue contributions totaling about $518 to an Elizabeth Waffle of Milan, Michigan, for El-Sayed’s campaign between October 2025 and July 2026. Waffle was not asked about those specific contributions during the interview. She did, however, acknowledge using ActBlue to make political donations while disputing the nearly $150,000 in political contributions attributed to her in records presented during the interview.
“Everything goes through ActBlue. ActBlue is like the bank,” Waffle said.
Waffle was interviewed outside the trailer where she said she has lived since her home burned down two years earlier. During the interview, she said her phone was not getting internet service as she attempted to demonstrate how she used ActBlue to make political donations.
El-Sayed, who has pledged to reject corporate PAC money and campaigned on reducing the influence of money in politics, continues to raise campaign funds through ActBlue, which remains under congressional investigation. His campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on its continued use of ActBlue or the allegations raised by Elizabeth Waffle.
ActBlue, meanwhile, has rejected the allegations against it as politically motivated.
“For three years, ActBlue has been targeted by MAGA Republicans because of who we are and what we stand for, not because of any unlawful conduct,” the organization told Fox News Digital. The organization also said it has “zero tolerance for fraud or other illegal activity” and that its fraud-prevention measures meet or exceed legal requirements.
A spokesman for House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, who launched the investigation in 2023, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the committee is examining Waffle’s case as part of its broader investigation into ActBlue.
“ActBlue employees have repeatedly refused to answer questions under oath about fraud and illegal foreign donations on their platform,” Steil said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our investigation will continue and I will continue to demand answers for the American people.”
During a June hearing, Steil said current and former ActBlue employees invoked the Fifth Amendment 146 times during congressional interviews, including CEO Regina Wallace-Jones, who declined to answer lawmakers’ questions about ActBlue’s fraud-prevention practices and the handling of potentially fraudulent donations.
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Wallace-Jones has not been charged with or accused of any crime and invoking the Fifth Amendment is not evidence of wrongdoing.
The congressional investigation remains ongoing.
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