Fact Sheets

# Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Investigates Unlawful “Straw Donor” and Foreign Contributions in American Elections

The White House
April 24, 2025

INVESTIGATING “STRAW” DONORS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to crack down on illegal “straw donor” and foreign contributions in American elections, following reports and congressional investigations regarding potentially unlawful activities through ActBlue and other online fundraising platforms.

- The Memorandum directs the Attorney General to investigate and take appropriate action concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make “straw” or “dummy” contributions and to make foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law.
- Specifically, the Memorandum notes that a congressional investigation revealed significant fraud schemes using ActBlue and, over a 30-day period during the 2024 election cycle, hundreds of ActBlue donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards, despite it being illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to U.S. elections.
- It instructs the Attorney General to report the results of the investigation to the President, through the Counsel to the President.

PROTECTING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: President Trump is taking action to address malign actors and foreign nationals who seek to illegally influence American elections, undermining the integrity of our electoral process.

- Recently uncovered evidence suggests that online fundraising platforms are being used to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.
- Bad actors have sought to evade Federal source and amount limitations by breaking down large contributions into smaller ones, often attributing them to numerous individuals without their consent or knowledge.
- These “straw donations” are frequently made through “dummy” accounts, using methods such as gift cards or prepaid credit cards to avoid detection.
- ActBlue has become notorious for its lax standards that enable unverified and fraudulent donations.
- A recent House of Representatives investigation found that ActBlue detected at least 22 “significant fraud campaigns” in recent years—nearly half of which had a foreign nexus.
  - Over a 30-day window during the 2024 election cycle, ActBlue detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards.
  - The investigation revealed that ActBlue trained employees to “look for reasons to accept contributions,” even in the face of suspicious activity.
- Until recently, ActBlue accepted political contributions without requiring a card verification value (CVV), making it easy to contribute without identity verification.
  - Before addressing this issue in response to a congressional investigation, ActBlue tested whether this would hurt its fundraising.
- Numerous state attorneys general have opened investigations into ActBlue over suspicious donations made through obscured identities and untraceable means.

MAKING ELECTIONS SECURE AGAIN: Voters deserve elections they can trust, and that confidence is being restored thanks to President Trump.

- President Trump is following through on his promise to secure our elections.
  - President Trump: “We’re going to fix our elections so that our elections are going to be honorable and honest.”
  - President Trump: “We will secure our elections, and they will be secure once and for all.”
- President Trump recently signed an Executive Order to protect the integrity of American elections.
- Unlike the Biden Administration, which prioritized political agendas over fair elections, President Trump is putting the American people back in charge.

## Related

- ### Investigation into Unlawful “Straw Donor” and Foreign Contributions in American Elections

  Presidential Actions, Presidential Memoranda
  April 24, 2025

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