‘This is a Massive Scandal’: GOP Suspects Foreign Funds in Democratic Donations
As a sweeping congressional inquiry into online political fundraising gains momentum, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed concern on Thursday that foreign adversaries such as China and Iran might be channeling funds to Democrats this election cycle, potentially benefitting Vice President Kamala Harris.
In an interview with Just the News, Johnson assured that Republican lawmakers would pursue punitive actions against these foreign entities if the accusations prove valid.
“This is a massive scandal,” Johnson told the outlet.
Johnson’s comments followed a disclosure by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who informed lawmakers in a confidential memo that the Treasury Department holds hundreds of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to possible money laundering tied to the Democratic Party’s main online fundraising platform, ActBlue.
There is no indication that the Harris campaign is knowingly involved in any wrongdoing. However, ActBlue donations have historically been directed to assist Democratic candidates, including their presidential nominees.
Comer, along with House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, Sen. Ron Johnson, and 19 state attorneys general, is investigating whether foreign actors might be exploiting ActBlue to conceal illegal contributions as if they come from unsuspecting or possibly defrauded American citizens.
On Wednesday, Steil issued a subpoena to ActBlue, seeking records after gathering evidence that China, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela might be misusing the platform. He questions whether the platform has adequate safeguards to prevent identity theft and fraudulent donations, according to Just the News.
On Thursday, Johnson predicted that new details would emerge, and that “very soon everyone will have to” cover this as a major news development.
“My theory is that they’re taking money from foreign nationals, primarily Iran, Russia, China, and Venezuela, and they’re breaking down the donations into smaller gifts to make it appear that these are, you know, this wave of new donors, American people, contributing,” Johnson said on the John Solomon Reports podcast. “And I don’t think it’s true.”
“These are all allegations,” he emphasized, adding that nothing is yet proven. “They’ll be investigated and have to be proven.”
Early findings, according to Johnson, suggest a potential “massive, massive operation” funneling illicit funds to sway the 2024 election outcomes.
Johnson recently used social media to share a site where Americans can verify if their identity has been unwittingly used for donations via ActBlue or other platforms. He noted that some individuals have reported suspicious activity linked to their identities after checking the site.
“I’ve done this as an informal experiment with small groups over the last two weeks, and there are hits in every group I’m in,” he noted. “I’m talking with lifelong Republicans who have no idea their names and addresses are being associated with these supposedly small-dollar donations.”
ActBlue, which claims to have raised $16 billion through small donations for left-leaning causes since 2004, has broadly denied any misconduct and has said it is cooperating with investigations.
However, ActBlue has admitted to Congress and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that it does not consistently use CVV verification codes on credit card transactions to verify all donor identities, Just the News reported.
Johnson expressed apprehension that liberal entities could be partaking in unlawful fundraising with foreign assistance or other illicit sources.
“I think somewhere at, you know, liberal High Command, they decided that the benefit outweighs the risk. We’ll have a couple fall guys who will go to jail eventually. But we’ll get this avalanche of cash to ensure we win the election, and they’ll never be able to reverse the results,” he remarked. “I mean, it’s very serious. It has huge implications for the country.”
Johnson voiced frustration that senior intelligence officials who recently engaged with Congress seemed unaware of the allegations or the existence of the SARs at the Treasury Department.
“If they ever made that available, I didn’t know about it. Nobody brought it to my attention. We had to do it in reverse,” he explained, indicating that lawmakers had to lead authorities to the SARs' existence.