ActBlue co-founder pleads Fifth Amendment in closed-door House GOP grilling

FIRST ON FOX: ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his closed-door deposition before three key House committees, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

The Committee on House Administration, House Oversight Committee, and House Judiciary Committee are conducting a joint investigation into ActBlue, a massive fundraising platform for Democrats, over allegations that lax fraud prevention standards may have allowed foreign donations to seep into U.S. campaigns.

DeBergalis’ deposition, which was scheduled for Thursday morning, lasted less than half an hour. FOX News saw DeBergalis entering and exiting the committee room within roughly 25 minutes.

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Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the majority and minorities of each of the three committees.

Pleading the Fifth Amendment is not evidence of wrongdoing. ActBlue has repeatedly denied running afoul of the law during the course of Republicans’ probe.

The Committee on House Administration, which has jurisdiction over U.S. election laws, first opened a probe into ActBlue in 2023. Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., accused the group of potentially accepting foreign or fraudulent donations when not requiring a credit card CVV number for contributions.

ActBlue has since updated its donation requirements with a CVV mandate.

A report released by the committees in April 2025 claimed that “ActBlue executives and staff are aware that both foreign and domestic fraudulent actors are exploiting the platform but do not take the threat seriously.”

The platform’s current CEO invoked the Fifth Amendment during a public congressional hearing earlier this year.

Steil told FOX News in an interview ahead of the deposition on Wednesday that it was unclear if ActBlue has updated its standards.

“It’s unclear how serious ActBlue is now taking fraud. We know that they weakened their fraud standards previously. Did they make the changes that are needed to root out foreign funds from coming into U.S. Elections?” Steil posed. 

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He also pointed to other ActBlue executives’ silence in the face of Republican questioning.

“What is so frustrating for me, and I think countless others — they have a right to not answer our questions, but I think the American people also have a rights to know exactly what’s taking place on this platform that has raised roughly $20 billion for democratic candidates and liberal causes since its creation,” Steil said.