For three years, ActBlue has been targeted by MAGA Republicans because of who we are and what we stand for, not because of any unlawful conduct. They want to undermine one of democracy’s most powerful tools because they are desperate to hold onto power.
Despite this distraction and noise, Americans continue to put their small-dollar donations to work: over $568 million raised in the first three months of the year. That’s not distraction — that’s a signal. A signal that Americans are fed up and ready to do something about it.
ActBlue recognizes our role in American democracy. We recognize that we are a foundational piece of our party. We take that seriously. We also know these noisy attacks will ramp up as we approach Election Day.
Today, we sent a formal response to the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration Committees (the Committees), responding to a letter they sent us on April 14, 2026. As a nonprofit, transparency isn’t a legal obligation we are committed to fulfilling — it’s core to who we are and what we owe the donors, campaigns, and democratic ecosystem that depend on us. That’s why we’re sharing what we told Congress, in full. Here are the highlights:
ActBlue has been fully transparent at every step of the way
For more than three years, we have worked in good-faith with Republican investigations, produced thousands of pages of materials and answered dozens of questions. Unfortunately, some are more interested in political theater than the facts. Now — after no response or follow-up for six months — they are challenging our treatment of our attorney-client privilege materials, which goes to the heart of one of the most foundational legal protections in our system. That’s not legitimate oversight.
ActBlue will defend itself and our rights under the law. If we allow Republicans to run roughshod, it will only empower them to attack more organizations and individuals that oppose them.
“Accusations of concealment — after extensive document production, disclosure of document categories withheld for privilege, and six months of silence from the Committees — are neither fair nor consistent with this record.” — ActBlue’s response letter, April 2026
ActBlue has been candid and cooperative
We understand our responsibility in this ecosystem. When we say something publicly about how ActBlue operates, it has to be true — for our donors, for the campaigns we serve, and for public trust in small-dollar Democratic fundraising. We do not take that lightly. This is the timeline of events:
- ActBlue voluntarily produced non-privileged documents beginning in May 2025;
- We complied with July 2025 congressional subpoenas — despite legitimate separation-of-powers concerns — and produced additional documents;
- We responded to follow-up requests in October 2025, including proactively disclosing categories of privileged material;
- And we are currently collecting and reviewing documents responsive to the Committees’ two new April 2026 requests.
In 2025, ActBlue also raised a legitimate concern: after President Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the Committees announced they would work “collaboratively” with the DOJ on the same investigation. Congress cannot conduct criminal investigations — that’s a core separation-of-powers principle. We asked the Committees to clarify that relationship and offered to meet. They declined and issued subpoenas. We complied anyway.
That is what good-faith cooperation looks like.
“An entity that voluntarily produces documents, complies with subpoenas, responds to follow-up requests and then hears nothing for half a year has not disengaged from this process or suspended cooperation.” — ActBlue’s response letter, April 2026
ActBlue leads the nation in preventing fraudulent political donations
ActBlue has built an industry-leading compliance platform that protects the integrity of transactions that flows through our system, regardless of which party benefits:
- Our primary fraud-detection tool assesses more than 140 factors in processing donations;
- Passport prompts for donors selecting a non-U.S. country; and
- A complete block on contributions from foreign mailing addresses, foreign IP addresses, or foreign bank identification numbers — a restriction so stringent it prevents millions of American citizens living or serving abroad from making fully lawful donations.
We hold this standard because it’s the right thing to do. Not because we’re told to. Not because it’s easy. Because the trust placed in ActBlue by millions of small-dollar donors is not something we’re willing to compromise.
What we’re asking for — and what we’re saying plainly
ActBlue has engaged in good faith at every turn. We are asking the Committees to do the same: engage with us directly before sending accusatory public correspondence, and answer unresolved questions about the relationship between their oversight work and a DOJ investigation ordered by a President who has made no secret of his hostility towards ActBlue.
We see what this is. And we’re going to keep showing up, keep correcting the record — because that’s what transparency actually looks like. Not as a talking point. As a practice.
Read the full text of ActBlue’s letter to the House Committees.
If you are wondering what you can do, please continue to show up. Whether that is finding a campaign or cause that moves you, engaging in community activities, registering to vote or even running for office yourself – we will only experience the change we need if Americans like yourself get involved.
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