Subpoenas Issued to ActBlue Employees Amid Allegations of Fraudulent Donations
On March 20, 2025, the House Judiciary Committee, alongside the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, formally requested interviews with two employees from the Democratic fundraising juggernaut, ActBlue. These employees, however, allegedly neglected to respond adequately to the request and are now being summoned to testify.
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, House Admin Chairman Bryan Steil, and House Oversight Chairman James Comer have subsequently issued subpoenas to Alyssa Twomey, a former Vice President of Customer Service, and a Senior Workflow Specialist at ActBlue. Their testimonies are sought regarding accusations that online fundraising platforms, ActBlue included, have unwittingly accepted fraudulent donations from both domestic and international sources.
A press release from the Committees revealed that “during her tenure at ActBlue, Alyssa Twomey led the fraud-prevention team, and evidence has surfaced suggesting that ActBlue maintained ‘a fundamentally unserious approach to fraud prevention’ at that time.
The release further claims that ActBlue weakened its fraud-prevention measures not just once, but twice during 2024, despite being aware of significant fraud attempts, including those from foreign entities. Their training materials reportedly advised staff to “look for reasons to accept contributions” rather than scrutinizing them for potential fraud.
#BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan, @RepBryanSteil, and @RepJamesComer Subpoena Senior ActBlue Employees for Depositions.
Allegations have risen that online fundraising platforms, including ActBlue, have accepted fraudulent donations from domestic and foreign sources. pic.twitter.com/2yYUZu5J9N
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 25, 2025
Legal Maneuvers and Presidential Memoranda
On April 21, Danny Onorato, representing the ActBlue employees, initially agreed to have his clients participate in transcribed interviews. However, just three days later, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum aimed at cracking down on illegal “straw donor” schemes and foreign contributions to political campaigns via platforms like ActBlue.
Following this development, Onorato advised his clients to abstain from appearing until they had “more information” about the implications of Trump’s directive, requesting that the interview requests be withdrawn until the Department of Justice concluded its investigation or clarified its stance regarding the employees.
In a letter addressed to Twomey, the Committees firmly rebutted Onorato’s request:
Mr. Onorato’s request that the Committees “withdraw [our] requests for transcribed interviews until the Department of Justice completes its investigation or clarifies its position with respect to our clients” amounts to a demand that the Committees forgo testimony that is potentially critical to our legislative oversight. Congress may set the terms of its own oversight, compelling testimony in a time, place, and manner of its own choosing. Federal courts have consistently held that witnesses may not “impose [their] own conditions upon the manner of [congressional] inquiry.” That is because “a witness does not have the legal right to dictate the conditions under which he will or will not testify” or “to prescribe the conditions under which he may be interrogated by Congress.”
…
“The Committees’ investigation has a clear – and important – legislative purpose. Congress has a specific interest in ensuring that bad actors, including foreign actors, cannot make fraudulent or illegal political donations through online fundraising platforms. Our oversight to date indicates that current law may be insufficient to stop these illicit donations. The Committees are considering a wide array of potential legislative reforms to address these concerns.”
The letter also acknowledged that potential reforms could include requiring card verification values (CVV) for online political donations, enforcing restrictions on donations made via gift cards, prepaid cards, or foreign credit cards, and implementing “enhanced reporting requirements for online fundraising conduits,” with possible criminal penalties for violations.
Investigative Revelations and Public Outcry
has extensively reported on the alleged “smurfing” operations linked to ActBlue, as uncovered by investigators Peter Bernegger, Chris Gleason, Draza Smith, and their team. This alleged scheme involves taxpayer funds being funneled from overseas and distributed in small increments to campaigns, often utilizing unsuspecting “retired” or “unemployed” senior citizens.
Moreover, James O’Keefe’s organization, OMG, conducted door-to-door inquiries after identifying numerous “straw donors” to ascertain whether they were aware that their identities were being exploited for laundering funds to campaigns. One notable case involved Janice Bosco from Horseshoe Bay, TX, who expressed shock upon discovering that ActBlue had recorded 648 donations totaling approximately $16,000 in her name, despite her modest means.
ActBlue Exposed: Texas Donors Shocked by Unauthorized Donations, AG’s Office Investigating
“I’m not rich. I don’t give that kind of money,” says Janice Bosco of Horseshoe Bay, TX, after discovering that ActBlue (@actblue) recorded 648 donations totaling around $16,000 in her… pic.twitter.com/xbmGF7XJ7A
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) August 12, 2024
In May, Peter Bernegger appeared on Badlands Media’s Why We Vote podcast alongside Ashe Epp and myself to discuss the latest developments in the smurfing investigation:
