ActBlue cofounder Matt DeBergalis invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination multiple times on Thursday during a closed-door deposition in a congressional investigation of the Democratic fundraising platform.
The interview before the House Administration, House Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform committees lasted less than half an hour, according to two sources familiar with the hearing. Lawmakers had sought testimony from the cofounder of Democrats’ largest fundraising apparatus as part of a joint Republican-led inquiry into allegations that ActBlue’s fraud-prevention practices allowed fraudulent or foreign donations to enter U.S. political campaigns.
The development was first reported by Fox News, which reported DeBergalis was seen entering and leaving the committee room within roughly 25 minutes.
ActBlue has repeatedly denied violating the law and has rejected claims that it knowingly permitted illegal foreign contributions.
Still, the response — or lack thereof — prompted suspicions among Republican lawmakers in Washington.
“What is ActBlue hiding?” Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) posted to X Thursday afternoon.
Republicans have examined whether ActBlue adequately verified donors and whether the organization misled Congress about its safeguards. The House Administration Committee opened its investigation in 2023, focusing in part on ActBlue’s previous practice of not requiring donors to provide the security code, known as a CVV, printed on their credit cards. The platform has since made CVV verification mandatory.
A report released by the committees in April detailed that ActBlue employees allegedly knew foreign and domestic actors were exploiting the platform, but did not treat the threat seriously. The committees have also subpoenaed current and former ActBlue employees. ActBlue’s current chief executive, Regina Wallace-Jones, invoked the Fifth Amendment during a public congressional hearing in June.
ACTBLUE CEO PLEADS THE FIFTH DURING CONGRESSIONAL QUESTIONING ABOUT FOREIGN DONATIONS
The investigation comes less than three months before the 2026 midterm elections. Democratic candidates and organizations continue to use ActBlue, which reportedly processed $586 million for Democratic candidates, causes, and groups during the second quarter of 2026. The platform says it has raised roughly $20 billion since its creation.
Democrats and their allies have characterized the investigations as partisan efforts intended to weaken the party’s campaign finance infrastructure before the midterm elections. Republicans say the inquiry is intended to determine whether foreign money or fraudulent donations have entered federal campaigns and whether ActBlue accurately described its safeguards to Congress.