Trump's week in review: Dem funding platform probed; anti-Christian bias task force meets

5. Trump orders investigation of Democratic fundraising platform
In a presidential memorandum published Thursday, Trump directed his secretary of the treasury, attorney general and counsel to the president to investigate ActBlue, a platform that accepts donations for Democratic candidates for public office.
He began by noting that "Federal law (52 U.S.C. 30121 and 30122) strictly prohibits making political contributions in the name of another person, as well as contributions by foreign nationals."
Trump expressed concern about "extremely troubling evidence that online fundraising platforms have been willing participants in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees," specifically highlighting concerns that "malign actors are seeking to evade Federal source and amount limitations on political contributions by breaking down large contributions from one source into many smaller contributions, nominally attributed to numerous other individuals."
"The reports also raise concerns that such 'straw donations' are being made through 'dummy' accounts, potentially using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to evade detection," he added.
Trump cited a recent U.S. House of Representatives investigation finding that ActBlue "detected at least 22' significant fraud campaigns,' nearly half of which had a foreign nexus."
According to Trump, "During a 30-day window during the 2024 campaign, the platform detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards, indicating that this activity remains a pressing concern." He condemned such activities as an affront to "the integrity of the electoral process."
Trump directed his administration to "use all lawful authority, as necessary, to investigate allegations regarding the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make 'straw' or 'dummy' contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees, and to take all appropriate actions to enforce the law." He ordered the attorney general to inform him of the results of the investigation within 180 days.
A spokesperson for ActBlue said it plans to challenge the directive in court.
"Today's escalation by the White House is blatantly unlawful and needs to be seen for what it is: Donald Trump's latest front in his campaign to stamp out all political, electoral and ideological opposition," the spokesperson told NBC News in a statement. "This Administration continues to weaponize the instruments of federal power in an unprecedented assault on our democracy."
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com