As pressure mounts on Democratic fundraising powerhouse ActBlue, one House Democrat is firing back with a claim that’s turning heads on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama is accusing Republicans of something bigger than a campaign-finance investigation: she says the scrutiny surrounding ActBlue and its leadership is part of a broader pattern of targeting Black women in positions of influence.
The clash erupted as House Republicans continue digging into whether ActBlue’s donation-processing system adequately blocked prohibited foreign contributions. GOP lawmakers have been demanding records and communications from the organization, arguing they need answers about how the platform screens donations and whether lawmakers were given a complete picture of its safeguards.
Sewell took the scandal for a spin. “Over and over again, Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has harassed Black women with bogus lawsuits,” she said during a committee hearing, framing the ActBlue inquiry as the latest example of political retaliation rather than legitimate oversight.
At the center of the storm is ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones, who has repeatedly rejected allegations that the organization failed to protect against unlawful donations. Wallace-Jones has insisted that ActBlue employs extensive security measures to verify contributors and detect suspicious activity. “Our approach is multilayered, with checks and confirmations occurring throughout the donation process to verify donors and donor information,” Wallace-Jones said previously.
According to the organization, those safeguards include credit-card verification requirements, address-confirmation systems, IP-address monitoring designed to identify potentially foreign-sourced transactions, and manual reviews of flagged donations.
Republicans remain unconvinced. The investigation gained additional momentum after President Donald Trump called for federal scrutiny of online fundraising platforms, citing concerns that foreign actors could attempt to influence American elections through digital donation systems. “There is evidence to suggest that foreign nationals are seeking to misuse online fundraising platforms to improperly influence American elections,” the White House said in a statement announcing the effort.
For Sewell, however, the controversy isn’t really about software, fundraising protocols or campaign-finance compliance.
Instead, she argued that the probe fits a larger pattern. “This investigation is just one more example of Republicans and President Trump using power of his office to harass and intimidate anyone willing to challenge him,” Sewell said. “The Trump Department of Justice has used its power to intimidate and victimize communities of color, especially Black Americans.”
The Alabama Democrat pointed to several other high-profile figures she believes have faced similar treatment, including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Rep. LaMonica McIver. “We should not forget the harassment of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook, the harassment of the New York Attorney General, Tish James and the harassment of our colleague Congresswoman LaMonica McIver,” Sewell said. “It is not surprising that this Republican-led committee is now attacking ActBlue and its CEO, Ms. Wallace-Jones.”
