U. S. intelligence officers appear” clueless” about an alleged plan money-laundering system on behalf of Democrat individuals now the subject of several lawsuits and immediately senator summons, U. S. Sen. Ron Johnson tells The Federalist.  ,
The Wisconsin Republican has been ringing the alarm over alleged” smurfing” activities for the past two years for the Democratic Party’s online donation platform ActBlue, which has raised millions of dollars for Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ presidential campaign. As Johnson notes in a new column in The Daily Caller, the process appears to require hundreds, perhaps thousands, of low-dollar funds made in the titles of people without their knowledge. Some people believe that rich foreigners are funding votes in the United States, particularly the upcoming presidential election in November.  ,
According to a report released by Only the News, Wisconsin traditional planner Mark Block, who claims he was a prey of the alleged system, names ActBlue in a new racketeering lawsuit alleging that unknown defendants have infringed the Wisconsin Organized Control Act.  ,
” Straw Donations”
Johnson and a fellow Badger State Republican representative, Bryan Steil, wrote letters to the U.S. Treasury Department, the FBI, and the Director of National Intelligence ( DNI ) asking for a classified report on “potential election interference through fraudulent donations by foreign actors.”
Johnson, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, requested , Suspicious , Activity Reports ( SARs ) related to , ActBlue. They also requested that all three companies provide classified briefings , on the topic.
Steil’s commission has  , been investigating claims that “foreign players, mostly from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to dirty illicit wealth into U. S. social activities. Our research has revealed that these actors may be using existing American donors to make false promises, the letter claims.  ,
According to the letter, the investigations have found “pointing to” illegal gifts that have been broken up into smaller amounts in an effort to get around legitimate contribution limits. Steil has warned against the use of pre-paid debit, funds, and gift cards in the names of reputable donors,” to create grass donations that are essentially impossible to detect.” In one situation, the politicians note, 5, 776 funds were made totaling$ 754, 124.  ,
” Down the Blind”
Thus far, it’s been radio solitude, Johnson said.  ,
” We have n’t heard a word from them”, the senator told The Federalist in an interview Wednesday. He’s never confident that the commissions will hear again from the same organizations that fervently attempted to silence the Hunter Biden laptop story as” Soviet interference” weeks before the 2020 election — a true disinformation campaign.  ,
In April 2023, Johnson claimed to have first written to the Federal Election Commission about his fears following an O’Keefe Media Group movie that documented alleged smurfing situations. He claimed that the FEC has not confirmed or refuted its claims that it is looking into the reported breaches of campaign finance laws.  ,
” I keep hearing they do n’t have the ability to investigate”, the senator said. What I view as blatant violations of campaign finance laws are being completely overlooked by these federal authorities.
In his most recent Daily Caller op-ed, Johnson noted that intelligence officials appear overt about the rising number of red flags circulating about the criminal large donations made through ActBlue. The senator noted an” All Members Classified Briefing on Foreign Threats to U. S. Elections” in late September, led by Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Cybersecurity &, Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) Director Jen Easterly.
Johnson wrote that “absolutely nothing” was said about the most severe instances of vote interference in our life or the most important threats to the dignity of the 2024 election.” He claimed that the FBI’s Wray” seemed ignorant” on the ActBlue case and “had no plan if the FBI was doing anything to look into it.”
Pattern of Racketeering Task
Herman Cain’s 2012 GOP presidential member, Mark Block’s chief of staff, filed what the Wisconsin’s Waukesha County Circuit Court journalist Miranda Devine calls a “bombshell criminal complaint.”  ,
Block alleges that more than 385 small campaign donations totaling more than$ 884 were “fraudulently used” to make 35 of the donations to the Harris Victory Fund. The contributions, averaging$ 3.24 per transaction, fit into a federal election law loophole that does n’t require campaigns to itemize donations from contributors when the total amount is less than$ 200, the lawsuit notes.  ,
” Strategies that receive efforts below$ 200 can just bundle the payment into a list of un-itemized efforts”, the problem in Block v. John Doe says.  ,
The vice president officially raked in$ 81 million from nearly 890,000 community donors within a day of Harris’s decision to step up as the Democratic Party’s political member. By the end of the month, the campaign boasted$ 310 million in total funds. That sets new data for both daily and weekly numbers. Block challenges the party’s say it was all “grassroots energy and enthusiasm” driving the huge pull.
Block claims in his petition that ActBlue started sending him old email addresses in May. According to Block, ActBlue claimed that funds had been made in the name of” Bernie Cain,” a surname he had formerly used. The conservative says he did n’t “make, authorize or consent” to any of the contributions to leftist candidates. He keeps a calculator outlining each of the ActBlue funds that he claims to have used his personal data.  ,
” Of these funds, 86 were initiated as one-time gifts, 234 were set up as gifts recurring on a regular basis, and 65 reappear on a regular basis”, the complaint says. Block claims he is not connected to the credit cards used to make the donations and has never authorized its employ through his Cain accounts. In the donations record, a UPS mailbox is located in Santa Monica, California, is mentioned.  ,
The issue alleges a number of offenses, including identity theft and the use of personally identifiable information. The defendants are alleged to have broken the Wisconsin Organized Crime Control Act by meeting the statute’s “pattern of criminal action” and “enterprise” needs.  ,
” By making these fraudulent gifts, John Doe associated with ActBlue in pursuit of a common goal: funding Democratic activities and organizations to advance left-leaning plans”, states the problem, which seeks an injunction and problems.  ,
I sincerely hope to pursue this.
Attorneys general in Texas, Virginia, Wyoming, and elsewhere have raised concerns about the potential for foreign donors and other bad actors to use the conduit to interfere with U. S. elections.  ,
The House Administration Committee a year ago wrote a letter to ActBlue asking how the platform blocks contributions from foreign sources, as Johnson and Steil note in their letter to the intelligence heads. ActBlue acknowledged that when making an online contribution to a Democrat campaign, participants were n’t required to provide their card verification value ( CVV ) code. That lapse, which ActBlue claims it has fixed, “may have allowed foreign actors to obscenely play a part in the political process in the United States.” S”.
A House Administration Committee data analysis, comparing more than 200 million FEC donation records with data on age, party affiliation, and other information, found ,” several anomalies and mismatches in the FEC records, suggesting that foreign entities may be using these tactics to interfere with U. S. elections”, according to the lawmakers.  ,
The Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations ( SHIELD ) Act, which Steil introduced, would “prohibit political committees like ActBlue from accepting online contributions from debit or credit cards without disclosing the CVV and billing address associated with the card.” It would also bar contributions from gift cards, prepaid credit or debit cards, or gift certificates.  ,
The nonprofit has criticized what it perceives as “partisan political” attacks and scare tactics that “undermine the power of Democratic and progressive small-dollar donors,” despite ActBlue officials ‘ requests for comment. An ActBlue official recently told the Hill,” ]W] e are aware of recent attempts to spread misinformation about our platform” . ,
Johnson said that will change if former President Donald Trump resigns from office and Republicans win control of the House and the Senate. However, intelligence officials from the Biden-Harris administration may block congressional investigations.  ,
” I certainly intend to pursue this”, the senator told The Federalist. ” I will be issuing subpoenas, if Bryan Steil does n’t beat me to the punch” . ,
For more election news and updates, visit , electionbriefing.com.
The Federalist’s senior elections correspondent, Matt Kittle, is. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.