Allegations of money laundering, identity theft, and elder abuse have all emerged as investigations into a leftist multi-pronged fundraising entity known as ActBlue gain momentum.
The spike in suspected “smurfing” via ActBlue has created some eye-popping numbers, according to an analysis by Restoration News. FEC records show some individuals with thousands of small dollar donations over short time periods, causing investigators to question their legitimacy. The questionable donations could total tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of dollars.
Just last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) “to close loopholes that jeopardize American election integrity” after finding that ActBlue could serve as a conduit for making illegal campaign donations.
Paxton’s petition fits into a larger criminal investigation on the part of 19 state attorneys general who are working to unwind “smurfing” techniques that involve the repackaging of large sums of money into smaller, individual transactions so as to avoid legal scrutiny.
A “smurf” is an individual whose name and identity is used without their permission or consent. They have no idea that hundreds or thousands of donations are being made in their name.
Restoration News has obtained FEC records that reveal the nature of a typical smurf: generally elderly, often retired, of modest financial means, who has made small donations to Democrats.
This smurfing scheme on behalf of Democrats concentrates on close elections in swing states like Wisconsin. These close elections could determine the outcome of this year’s presidential race and which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Restoration News has identified 10 smurfs in Wisconsin whose identities were used to make more than 1600 contributions to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the far-left incumbent Democrat, who is in a tight race with Republican businessman Eric Hovde. In total, these smurfs contributed more than $2 million to Democrat candidates and Democrat organizations.