WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has prompted an investigation into online fundraising, specifically pointing to concerns regarding foreign and fraudulent contributions to political campaigns. Trump's focus has been singularly directed at ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising powerhouse, which has admitted to accepting over 200 potentially illicit contributions from foreign internet addresses last year. The investigation, however, has raised questions due to the absence of scrutiny towards Trump's own political fundraising activities, which have similarly received questionable donations.
Despite Trump's claims about illegal contributions, the White House has not commented specifically on his fundraising. Instead, officials have referenced a House Republican investigation into ActBlue, suggesting it has revealed evidence of unlawful conduct. In contrast, the Justice Department has not issued any comments concerning this investigation.
According to an Associated Press review, Trump's political committees have also accepted dubious donations from overseas. U.S. law prohibits political donations from foreign nationals, and violations typically are only pursued if severely egregious. The AP's analysis noted that only two out of over 200 Trump donors based abroad had their U.S. citizenship verified. The rest comprised over 1,000 contributions from approximately 150 donors who failed to provide essential identifying information like their city, state, or country. Moreover, Trump received at least 90 contributions from individuals listed as "anonymous" or whose donations included notations such as "name not provided."
Many of these donations were processed through WinRed, the Republican counterpart to ActBlue. Campaign finance reports indicate that only a small fraction of these questionable donations were later refunded. WinRed officials have not responded to inquiries for clarification.
Some donations have drawn significant scrutiny due to the identities of the donors, raising red flags. For instance, Jiajun "Jack" Zhang — a businessman from China's Shandong province — made a $5,000 donation to Trump via WinRed while listing a La Quinta Inn in California as his address. This was notably around the same time he published photos of his family at Disneyland, highlighting discrepancies in his residency claims. Attempts to reach Zhang for comment were unsuccessful.
Other notable donations involved donors with fictitious addresses like "999 Anonymous Dr." or contributions from a suspicious source identified only as "Alex, A," who managed to donate nearly $5,000 through more than 40 transactions while registering an address tied to a defunct funeral home in Washington.
Trump's historical disregard for campaign finance regulations adds another layer of complexity to the investigation. His administration previously dropped legal actions against former Republican figures accused of such violations. Instances include pardoning individuals convicted for using straw donors to evade contribution limits and dropping prosecutions relating to significant foreign donations.
Democrats have voiced outrage over Trump's selective investigation, perceiving it as political retaliation given that WinRed has similarly accepted questionable donations. Ezra Reese, an attorney in political law, noted, "This is him taking direct aim at the center of Democratic and progressive fundraising to hamstring his political opponents." Meanwhile, there is a palpable fear within Democratic ranks. Some speculate that if ActBlue were forced to shut down due to legal pressures from the investigation, the impact could be as severe as a $10 million loss in fundraising.
Veteran Democratic strategists express concern about the potential ramifications of a diminished ActBlue as the midterm elections approach, recognizing that it may be too late to develop an alternative fundraising platform capable of matching ActBlue's success.
The political landscape is evidently tense, reflecting deep-rooted fears among Democrats about the implications of Trump's directed investigation and the broader consequences for their fundraising efforts.
