(AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Justice Department to investigate the main fundraising platform used by Democrats, who responded with accusations that he was simply weaponizing the government against his political opponents. The Republican leader signed a memorandum instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe supposed foreign and other illicit payments to platforms including ActBlue, used by Democrats to process donations to election campaigns and other causes online.
The Republican said he wanted the probe to look at the use of “fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions and to make foreign contributions to US political candidates and committees, all of which break the law.” While the order urged a broad investigation, Trump specifically cited ActBlue, a non-profit group whose platform has become a small-dollar juggernaut but which has long been the target of unsubstantiated accusations by Republicans. Top Trump advisor Elon Musk tweeted multiple times about the organization in March, accusing it — without providing evidence — of fraud and posting: “Something stinks about ActBlue.”
Action against one of the main sources of income for liberal causes could hamper Democrats’ ability to compete in the midterm elections next year that will decide who controls Congress for the remainder of Trump’s second term. Straw donations — donors giving money in other people’s names — and foreign contributions to federal political candidates or political action committees are against US law.
But Trump’s memo drew accusations for the third time in as many weeks that he was abusing his power for personal and political ends. Earlier this month he signed memorandums ordering criminal investigations into two officials who had defied him during his first term. One of the officials, Chris Krebs, was targeted for dismissing Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud.
– ‘Silencing grassroots donors’ – Trump was also berated by Democrats for a number of executive orders penalizing specific law firms that had taken on work to which he objected. Republican interest in ActBlue intensified during the 2020 election, amid an avalanche of personal contributions and polls showing voters were fed up with dark money and corporate influence in politics.
Three House committees — judiciary, administration and oversight — released a report on April 2 claiming “extensive fraud… including from foreign sources” on ActBlue and accusing the platform of lowering its prevention efforts. The probe contained no significant new examples of wrongdoing but said almost 500 pages of internal ActBlue documents released alongside its report “demonstrate a lack of commitment to stopping fraud and paint a picture of complacency.”
Some Democrats, including Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, raced to urge donations from supporters “while we still can” as others took to social media to accuse Trump of abusing his office. “His approval rating is tanking, and he’s panicking about the midterms,” Democratic strategist Mike Nellis, a former top aide to 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, posted on X. “This is about letting his billionaire buddies buy more elections while silencing grassroots donors and tearing down the Dems’ infrastructure.”
Fellow Democratic strategist and consultant Sawyer Hackett said the move could be “Trump’s most authoritarian action yet.” – Frankie TAGGART
© 2024 AFP
