Five former and current employees of the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue invoked their Fifth Amendment rights 146 times during a congressional investigation into whether the organization allowed foreign money to flow into American elections, according to documents obtained by the Daily Wire.
The witnesses were subpoenaed as part of a joint investigation by the House Administration, Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform Committees. Those called to testify included former Vice President of Customer Service Alyssa Twomey, former General Counsel Darrin Hurwitz, former Director and Associate General Counsel Aaron Tug, Legal Counsel Zain Ahmad, and a senior workflow specialist tied to fraud prevention.
The employees refused to answer even basic questions, including when they worked at ActBlue and whether internal compliance staff departed the company because of its failure to prevent fraud in prior election cycles. Committee leaders said the mass invocations “only amplifies the Committees’ concerns” about the platform’s internal controls.
A joint committee report released alongside the hearing alleges a significant exodus of ActBlue’s legal and compliance personnel following the 2024 presidential election. The report also states that one ActBlue attorney “appears to have been retaliated against by ActBlue executives for blowing the whistle.”
Ahmad, one of the remaining attorneys at the organization, had forwarded memos from outside counsel to ActBlue’s board warning about weaknesses in the platform’s fraud detection and compliance practices. After escalating those concerns, Ahmad went on leave. Two days later, the organization’s director of compliance either quit or was fired after more than a decade with the group.
A memo cited in the report warned that ActBlue could face allegations that it “accepted and/or facilitated the acceptance of foreign-national contributions,” and that any violations could be deemed “knowing and willful,” potentially triggering criminal exposure.
Separately, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit against ActBlue on Monday, alleging widespread donor fraud including the use of straw donors and the bundling of donations from people who had no knowledge their names were being used.
Under federal law, foreign nationals cannot donate directly to federal candidates or political action committees. Knowingly accepting or soliciting foreign contributions is a federal crime.
