WASHINGTON, D.C. – Far-left Democrats continue to cash in on ActBlue despite multiple investigations into fraudulent illegal activity, and taking advantage of seniors.
The latest ActBlue controversy centers on an 88-year-old Michigan woman disputing nearly $150,000 in donations attributed to her name that benefited Abdul El-Sayed's campaign. Nevertheless, El-Sayed and fellow Democrats Roy Cooper, Sherrod Brown, James Talarico, Dan Osborn, Jon Ossoff, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez continue fundraising through the embattled platform.
Read the full story here or highlights below.
Fox News
August 17, 2026
"Several prominent progressives — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed — continue raising campaign cash through the embattled fundraising platform ActBlue despite congressional investigations into allegations it failed to stop illegal foreign donations from entering U.S. political campaigns.
The fundraising behemoth has been thrust back into the spotlight after a recent viral video showed an 88-year-old Michigan woman disputing nearly $150,000 in political donations attributed to her in federal campaign finance records. She acknowledged using ActBlue to make political donations but disputed nearly the amount attributed to her. Federal Election Commission records attribute more than 15,000 contributions by the woman over a six-year period.
ActBlue says it has processed more than $19 billion in donations since it was founded in 2004, making it one of the largest online fundraising platforms serving mostly Democratic candidates, party committees and progressive organizations. It brands itself as a grassroots fundraising platform that is a "counterweight to the dark money special interests that dominate our politics."
Republicans argue the platform has become vulnerable to fraud and illegal foreign donations. Since 2023, House committees have conducted an ongoing investigation into ActBlue's fraud-prevention practices and whether its safeguards adequately prevented illegal foreign and fraudulent contributions. ActBlue denies the allegations and any wrongdoing.
An April 2025 interim staff report also cited internal ActBlue records showing the platform detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using domestic prepaid cards during a 30-day period in late 2024, a pattern the committees described as a leading indicator of fraud.
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ActBlue continues to process donations for some of the Democratic Party's highest-profile campaigns, including El-Sayed, who has been endorsed by Sanders, I-Vt. Sanders' campaign website also directs supporters to ActBlue to donate to El-Sayed's campaign.
The platform also processes donations for the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and thousands of other Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. Its "Trending Campaigns" page currently highlights El-Sayed alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Texas state Rep. James Talarico, Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.
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The Republican National Committee says Democratic candidates should explain why they continue relying on ActBlue despite the congressional investigation and allegations from donors who say contributions were made in their names without their knowledge.
"Democrats claim to oppose special interests with one exception: their own. They defend fraud and schemes like ActBlue because they know cheating the system is the only way for their corrupt campaigns to raise money," Ally Triolo, the RNC's election integrity communications director, told Fox News Digital.
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One of the cases fueling the renewed scrutiny involves 88-year-old Milan, Michigan, resident Elizabeth Waffle, who acknowledged making donations through ActBlue but disputed donating nearly $150,000 attributed to her in a now-viral interview with the Michigan Enjoyer.
Fox News Digital independently reviewed Federal Election Commission records attributing more than 16,000 political contributions totaling nearly $150,000 between September 2020 and June 2026 to an Elizabeth Waffle of Milan, Michigan. During the interview, a reporter presented Waffle with what he said were Federal Election Commission records documenting those contributions. Waffle disputed the nearly $150,000 in political donations attributed to her in those records after a reporter arrived unannounced at her trailer and presented her with records he said were from the Federal Election Commission during the interview.
"One hundred and fifty thousand? Hell no. I don't have that kind of money," Waffle said. "I don't see $150,000. That's very abnormal and I think it's wrong. I think there's something in there that's off."
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During a June hearing, Steil said current and former ActBlue employees invoked the Fifth Amendment 146 times during congressional interviews, including CEO Regina Wallace-Jones, who declined to answer lawmakers' questions about ActBlue's fraud-prevention practices and the handling of potentially fraudulent donations..."
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