Congress
Dems go after GOP online fundraising after Trump attacks ActBlue
House Democrats are firing back at Republican attacks on their top fundraising platform, saying that in fact it’s the GOP’s own online fundraising sites that might be used as tools of corruption and foreign influence.
The top Democrats on the House Judiciary, Oversight and Administration Committees are asking the Treasury Department to fork over any evidence of suspicious transactions connected to a wide range of Republican and President Donald Trump-aligned fundraising platforms — including the Republican aligned small-dollar mega platform WinRed and the Elon Musk-affiliated America PAC.
Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) and Gerald Connolly (D-Va.)’s demand for “suspicious activity reports” is a response to Trump’s and the GOP’s parallel effort to turn the screws on ActBlue, the Democratic online fundraising powerhouse that Republicans have recently targeted over allegations of illegal foreign donations.
Small-dollar fundraising has become a powerhouse for political campaigns, even if it’s dropped off in recent years, and the tit-for-tat complaints over suspicious activity on WinRed and ActBlue are the latest salvos in a legal and political fight seeking to undermine opponents’ engines of political participation.
The Democrats say their Republican counterparts’ focus only on ActBlue obscures similar allegations of corruption or foreign influence in those Trump-aligned entities. Notably, they are also asking for any reports of suspicious transactions related to the Trump family’s new cryptocurrency ventures, which have raised concerns about potential for abuse and influence-peddling.
“Despite Republicans’ professed concern for the integrity of our elections and the protection of our democracy from foreign influence, their partisan report conspicuously makes no reference whatsoever,” to fraud that takes place through Republican fundraising platforms and scam PACs, they write in the letter.
Suspicious activity reports, or SARs are filings routinely lodged with Treasury by financial institutions to flag potential financial crimes or corruption. Though the policymakers warn that banks over-report potential incidents, they have become an increasingly common weapon in congressional inquiries. For example, Republicans used the reportsas evidence of alleged corruption by members of the Biden family and to track a network of shell companies the Bidens used to conduct overseas business.
In the letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the three lawmakers say they’re seeking any suspicious activity reports related to WinRed; America PAC and Trump family cryptocurrency tokens, which they say are potentially rife with foreign influence-peddling.
The SARs, they say, will help inform potential legislation to safeguard American elections and strengthen anti-corruption laws.
The Treasury Department, WinRed and America PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The effort from Democrats comes as Trump last month directed the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue for allowing “straw donors” and foreign influence.
At the time, Democrats accused Trump of “trying to block lawful grassroots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration.”
Senate Republicans confirmed dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees Friday, just before they leave for a five-week congressional recess.
Senators voted 51-47 to approve officials at the Departments of Defense, Energy, State and other agencies.
They included David Cummins to head the Transportation Security Administration, Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hal Duncan to be OMB deputy director and Francis Brooke to be Treasury deputy secretary. Among the group were several ambassadors, including former Rep. David Brat to be ambassador to Australia.
Senate Republicans changed the chamber’s rules last year to be able to confirm lower-level nominees as a package instead of having to hold a vote on each.
After finishing the expedited procedure Friday, Senate Republicans estimate they will only have a small number of civilian nominees awaiting confirmation.
President Donald Trump said voters may seek to punish Republicans — but not him — in the November midterm elections, as GOP lawmakers sweat that affordability concerns and the war in Iran could mean Democrats flip the House and perhaps even the Senate.
“They’re angry at Republicans,” Trump said in an interview with Punchbowl News that aired Friday. “But they’re not angry at me. They’re not angry at me, but they are angry at Republicans.”
The GOP faces the prospect of heavy losses this November, as gas and grocery prices remain stubbornly high due in part to the White House’s five-month-long war in Iran. The administration’s guidance on campaign trail messaging has been “tone deaf,” House Republicans fear.
Meanwhile, the president’s approval rating has tumbled since he returned to the Oval Office last year, and even his biggest supporters have grown frustrated over his Middle East war.
And with a messy, jam-packed slate of primaries now all but in the rearview mirror, Democrats are determined to go on offense. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has 58 seats on its midterm target map that stretches into redder territory — while still facing an uphill climb to take the Senate.
Trump has a massive war chest at his disposal. His MAGA Inc. super PAC reached $400 million in June. The president told Punchbowl he plans to use it to “help Republicans,” but he stressed that he faces no pressure in this campaign cycle.
“I said to somebody, ‘Wait a minute, you don’t understand, I won,’” Trump said, referencing his 2024 presidential election victory. “I’m not campaigning.”
The biggest issue for Republicans this year? That Trump himself is not on the ballot, he said.
“If I don’t run, will those people go out and vote? And that’s the one thing I can’t tell, I’m going to ask them to,” he said.
The Senate’s plan to get out of town is coming together.
Majority Leader John Thune teed up a final vote on the Russia sanctions legislation for this morning, as well as a confirmation vote for dozens of nominees and a procedural step on a stopgap funding bill.
But there’s still a number of questions that need to be answered if Thune wants to adjourn for recess by the end of the day:
— BLANCHE’S FATE: President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general needs to secure at least one more vote to be confirmed before the break.
It looks like it’s all up to Sen. Bill Cassidy after Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday morning she is opposed. Thune indicated Thursday night Blanche’s fate was uncertain and that leaders were “still working to get the final vote.”
— SAVE AMERICA ACT: Thune said to expect a vote related to the SAVE America Act as well as an initial vote on a budget blueprint for a third party-line spending bill — which includes elements of Trump’s election security legislation.
The decision to hold the budget vote comes after two Republican senators, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Blue Light News Thursday they believed Sen. Mike Lee or another member of the GOP’s right flank would have otherwise forced a vote on the framework.
But as we’ve previously reported, Republicans don’t believe the budget resolution has the votes within the conference to be adopted — meaning the expected initial vote today will fail to clear a simple majority threshold.
And it’s not clear Lee or like-minded senators will be satisfied and allow for lawmakers to adjourn for recess without more action on the elections measure. The senator has made similar threats over the past year but has never followed through.
— TIME AGREEMENT: GOP leaders need to strike an agreement to finish other business, including passing the stopgap government funding bill and advancing a college sports bill.
At this point, any single senator could still object to expediting the chamber’s agenda, which would derail Thune’s goal of getting members out of town by the end of the day.
“We’ve been having these conversations with Democrats trying to figure out what’s the path,” Thune said.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he added.
What else we’re watching:
— GOP EXPECTS CRYPTO BILL DELAY: The Senate will leave for the chamber’s August recess without holding a vote on a landmark cryptocurrency bill, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Thune may still file cloture on the bill, but it likely won’t come to the floor until lawmakers return to Washington next month, two of the people said.
— COLLEGE SPORTS BILL STUMBLES: Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell’s legislation to impose new guardrails on college sports is looking increasingly unlikely to hit the floor this week. Eleven senators objected to expedited consideration of the Protect College Sports Act after Thune filed cloture earlier this week, two people familiar with discussions told Blue Light News.
— OGLES OUSTED: GOP House leaders lost an incumbent — and a perennial headache — with Rep. Andy Ogles’ primary defeat in Tennessee Thursday night. His loss to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher represents the second Trump-endorsed candidate to lose a primary this week.
Jordain Carney, Mia McCarthy, Andrew Howard and Jacob Wendler contributed to this report.
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