Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is urging the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to take action after his office uncovered alleged fraudulent donations made through ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s online fundraising platform. After nearly a year of investigation, Paxton claims that straw donations have been made using prepaid credit cards, allowing contributors to disguise their identities.
Paxton’s investigation began in December 2023 and revealed that prepaid cards are being used to bypass campaign finance laws. Straw donations involve making political contributions in someone else’s name without their knowledge. Paxton expressed concern that this could allow foreign money to infiltrate U.S. elections and exceed legal contribution limits.
In August, ActBlue implemented a measure requiring donors to enter CVV codes when making credit card donations. However, Paxton argues this does not go far enough. “Our investigation shows that bad actors are exploiting weaknesses in the system,” Paxton said. He petitioned the FEC to implement stricter regulations to address these concerns.
The findings from Paxton’s investigation have raised alarm about the integrity of online donations and campaign finance transparency. Paxton is calling on the FEC to close the loopholes and safeguard elections from potential fraud and foreign interference.
The FEC has not yet responded to Paxton’s request, but the investigation has drawn national attention to the vulnerabilities in political fundraising platforms.
