ActBlue co-founder invokes Fifth Amendment during House fraud probe

Matt DeBergalis, co-founder of the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a closed-door deposition before three House committees on Thursday. The session, which included the House Administration, Oversight, and Judiciary committees, reportedly lasted fewer than 30 minutes.

The joint Republican-led investigation is examining whether ActBlue’s fraud-prevention measures were sufficient to prevent illegal foreign donations from entering U.S. political campaigns. Lawmakers have focused on previous security gaps, such as the platform's former policy of not requiring credit card CVV numbers, a practice that has since been updated.

An April 2025 committee report alleged that ActBlue executives were aware of fraudulent actors exploiting the platform but did not take the threat seriously. DeBergalis is the latest high-ranking official to decline testimony; ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones also invoked the Fifth Amendment during a hearing in June. ActBlue has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, describing the investigations as politically motivated and asserting that it maintains robust anti-fraud technology.