# House and state investigations into ActBlue safeguards > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/house-investigation-into-actblue-fundraising-safeguards > Updated: 2026-09-29T11:45:03.000Z. Sources: 21. Developments: 6. Republican-led House committees—specifically the Oversight, Judiciary, and Administration committees—have released an interim report alleging that the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue weakened fraud safeguards during the 2024 election cycle. The investigation claims the platform adopted a “more lenient approach” to fraud prevention, with internal communications suggesting staff were trained to “look for reasons to accept contributions” rather than scrutinizing them. A central focus of the report is the inadequacy of ActBlue’s passport verification system. Investigators allege the system merely checked the character count of passport numbers instead of verifying them against government databases. The report further claims that staff approved donations from foreign IP addresses or donors with foreign origins by using social media profiles or billing addresses as makeshift verification. Additionally, the investigation alleges that ActBlue leadership retaliated against an attorney who raised legal concerns regarding these potential violations. ActBlue has denied all allegations, characterizing the investigation as a “politically motivated stunt.” The company maintains that its procedures functioned as intended, citing forensic analysis that suggests nearly all processed contributions came from donors providing U.S. addresses or evidence of U.S. citizenship. Scrutiny has expanded to the state level. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has launched a state investigation into ActBlue, citing potential violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and allegations of fundraising fraud. This probe, prompted by information from the House Administration Committee, is examining whether faulty verification processes or the use of prepaid gift cards allowed untraceable foreign contributions to be transferred to Missouri political campaigns. The Attorney General’s Office is also investigating reports of whistleblower complaints, resignations, and terminations within the organization. Concurrently, House Republican chairmen have summoned attorney Ronald Machen for a closed-door interview by October 9. Lawmakers accuse Machen of providing misleading information to Congress to cover up misconduct. ## Claims - Machen's claims of near-perfect compliance contradict findings by former ActBlue counsel Dana Remus. (disputed by 2 sources) - A 2024 review led by Dana Remus found a substantial risk of illegal foreign donations being processed by ActBlue. (disputed by 2 sources) - House Republican chairmen have accused attorney Ronald Machen of providing misleading information to Congress regarding ActBlue. (corroborated by 3 sources) - Lawmakers have demanded that Ronald Machen appear for a transcribed interview before October 9. (corroborated by 2 sources) - ActBlue has denied any wrongdoing regarding the acceptance of illegal foreign donations. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-29: Missouri Attorney General investigates ActBlue over fundraising allegations Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is investigating ActBlue for potential fraud and the illegal use of foreign contributions in political fundraising. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/missouri-attorney-general-investigates-actblue-over-fundraising-allegations ### 2026-09-28: House Republicans summon ActBlue lawyer over foreign donation allegations House Republicans have summoned ActBlue attorney Ronald Machen for questioning, alleging his claims of platform compliance contradict evidence of potential illegal foreign donations. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/house-republicans-summon-actblue-lawyer-over-foreign-donation-allegations ### 2026-09-25: Missouri investigates ActBlue over potential fundraising fraud Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is investigating ActBlue for potential fundraising fraud and violations involving possible unlawful foreign contributions and untraceable donations. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/missouri-investigates-actblue-over-potential-fundraising-fraud ### 2026-09-21: ActBlue faces GOP investigation over alleged foreign donations House Republicans are investigating ActBlue following allegations that the Democratic fundraising platform accepted illegal foreign donations and maintained inadequate security measures to verify donor identity 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/actblue-faces-gop-investigation-over-alleged-foreign-donations ### 2026-09-19: ActBlue accused of weak foreign donor safeguards in House report A congressional report alleges ActBlue had weak safeguards against foreign political donations and retaliated against a whistleblower who raised legal concerns. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/actblue-accused-of-weak-foreign-donor-safeguards-in-house-report ### 2026-09-16: ActBlue accused by House committees of weakening fraud safeguards House committees have accused ActBlue of weakening fraud safeguards and allowing illegal foreign donations through a flawed passport verification system that failed to check data against government databases. 12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/actblue-accused-by-house-republicans-of-weakening-fraud-safeguards --- Cite as: House and state investigations into ActBlue safeguards. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/house-investigation-into-actblue-fundraising-safeguards