Dem fundraising powerhouse ActBlue in 'turmoil': report

Prominent online fundraising platform for Democrats, ActBlue, is in “turmoil” after at least seven senior officials resigned in February, the New York Times reports. The exodus has raised concerns about the organization as it faces heightened scrutiny from congressional Republicans, as there have been questions over the legitimacy of some donations that have been made through the organization.

Over the last several weeks, congressional inquiries from House Republicans have been sent to ActBlue, requesting the organization to “provide an update regarding ActBlue’s security, fraud prevention measures and related procedures.” Additionally, there have been reports about suspicious political donations going through the platform.

It is unclear what prompted the senior officials to resign their positions, and none have been interviewed on record about the exodus, the outlet reported. In response to the resignations, ActBlue spokesperson Megan Hughes told the outlet, “Like many organizations, as we undergo some transition heading into this new election cycle, we are focused on ensuring we have a strong team in place.”

“We greatly appreciate the contributions of our incredible team members and remain deeply committed to the success of our organization and our mission to enable grass-roots supporters to make their voices heard,” Hughes added.

According to a letter sent by two unions representing workers at the Democrat fundraising entity cited by the Times, the resignations began on February 21 when the head of customer service as well as their partnerships director resigned. Several other senior staff members followed. However, the Times has not been able to confirm the contents of the letter.

The letter stated that there needed to be an independent audit with “investigatory actions to better understand the current state of the organization and evaluate if our CEO is doing her job in an appropriate, competent and responsible manner.”

Zain Ahmad, who is the only remaining lawyer at ActBlue, suggested he faced retaliation from ActBlue after he was cut off from his email and other internal channels. He said that messages he had sent had been deleted, according to a screenshot obtained by the outlet.

“Please be advised that we have Anti-Retaliation and Whistleblower Policies for a reason,” Ahmad wrote. The letter stated that Ahmad’s claims about ActBlue were “unsettling and disturbing, and part of a growing pattern of volatility and toxicity stemming from current leadership.”