The Democratic Party’s premier fundraising machine is facing an uncertain future amid investigations, staff departures, and political headwinds. ActBlue stands accused by Republicans of illegally collecting money for Democrats during the 2024 election by using deceptive methods. But its brushes with controversy go back further than the last cycle, and its next chapter could be consequential for a party that is out of power and directionless. This Washington Examiner series, Feeling Blue, examines what accusations ActBlue faces and how it cashes in on sometimes destructive protester politics.
Part 1: A look at the allegations facing ActBlue
ActBlue is a not-for-profit payment processor used by Democratic political campaigns at all levels of government and left-of-center activist groups to handle online contributions. The platform plays a vital role in the liberal financial ecosystem, having processed well over $16 billion in donations since its founding in 2004.
The liberal payment processing juggernaut, however, has been thrown into disarray. The New York Times reported on March 5 that at least seven senior staffers, including its top legal officer, resigned in late February. The reason for the exodus is not yet known.
Republicans in Washington and states across the nation have accused the Democratic fundraising platform of a wide range of wrongdoing, from foreign money laundering to financing terrorism. Some accusations have developed into full-blown congressional inquiries, though the strength of supporting evidence varies from claim to claim.
Since the reported departures of ActBlue’s senior staff, scrutiny has continued to build.
Read more from the Washington Examiner.
Part 2: How ActBlue makes money off disruptive protest politics
For years, liberal organizations have used ActBlue to fund protests in which activists engage in legally dubious activities and, at times, are arrested by authorities. For every dollar these organizations raise through ActBlue, the payment processor pockets roughly $0.04 — a seemingly small quantity that quickly adds up, given the platform’s billions of dollars in contributions.
Now, the left-of-center payment processing giant is facing a mysterious exodus of top staffers, and rumors swirl about possible Republican investigations into alleged fraud and other alleged misconduct.
While it is unclear what, if any, legal repercussions could be in store for ActBlue, high-level Republicans have criticized the payment processor for its support of groups engaged in contentious protests. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sung a similar tune, accusing ActBlue of processing payments for the groups behind the recent vandalism at Tesla dealerships nationwide.
The five groups named by Musk — Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project, and Democratic Socialists of America — indeed use ActBlue to fundraise and have been promoting anti-Musk demonstrations, at which activists have been arrested on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to vandalism.
ActBlue’s link to left-wing protesters is nothing new, but much of it has gone unreported.