Republican Senator, Marco Rubio, has asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to investigate alleged fraudulent donations through ActBlue. In a press release on the senators official website, it states, "ActBlue, a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, has purportedly engaged in thousands of dollars in campaign donations through small donors, including senior citizens, via illegal contributions, without those donors’ consent or awareness."
The Florida senator sent a letter to the FEC on Wednesday in which he points the finger at ActBlue, a technology platform used by democrat politicians for fundraising, and is demanding accountability from ActBlue for its apparent lack of security protocols and its collection "fraudulent" of funds.
Sent a letter to the @FEC to demand an investigation into @ActBlue after reports of 'fraudulent' fundraising off seniors without their consent or awareness.
Read my full statement below. ⬇️https://t.co/dkrvAKpiQe pic.twitter.com/qBAOhAdA8o
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) April 12, 2023
In the letter, addressed to the FEC president and administrator, Rubio says that these contributions were made without the consent or knowledge of these small donors. In this sense, the senator points out the platform's plans to obtain illegal donations for electoral campaigns.
Marco Rubio recalled that, "unlike nearly every other individual political campaign and political action committee, ActBlue does not require a card verification value (CVV) number as a requirement for donating."
Requiring a CVV number as a condition of making an online transaction is standard practice across the e-commerce industry to reduce fraud and prevent unlawful foreign transactions.
In February, Senator Rubio reintroduced the CVV Act, aka, Codification of Verified Values Act, which would require a card verification value (CVV) number as a requirement to donate to a political campaign. Now, the Republican is urging the FEC to investigate these alleged irregularities.
Fraudulent use of elderly donors
In the letter, Rubio recalls that "alarming reports emerged of fraudulent donations being reported to the FEC by ActBlue. These reports indicate that numerous individuals, including senior citizens, have purportedly donated to ActBlue thousands of times a year. However, according to recent investigative reports, many of these individuals had no idea that their names and addresses were being used to give thousands of dollars in political donations, with most of these donations going to ActBlue."
The senator, moreover, recalls that "foreign actors use fake accounts to exploit donation systems that do not have robust verification processes and systems in place." That's why he believes they could take advantage of the insecure ActBlue system (no CVV verification) to funnel that money into Democratic campaigns. Therefore, the letter ends by asking the commissioners whether they were aware of these processes and whether, in any case, they will investigate the company in light of the reports pointing to possible fraud.
