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Trump Plans to Target ActBlue, Democrats’ Cash Engine
President Trump on Thursday plans to direct the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the fund-raising platform that powers virtually every Democratic candidate and cause, according to a person briefed on the preparations. The move steps up Republicans’ effort to cripple their opponents’ political infrastructure.
It will be the third time in three weeks that Mr. Trump has directed the government to target a perceived political enemy, a drastic expansion of his use of his powers to try to damage domestic opponents.
Mr. Trump plans to call for an investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi into ActBlue, which is used across the Democratic Party’s ecosystem to collect donations online. The inquiry is ostensibly meant to look into possible illegal donations made by people in someone else’s name, known as straw donations, as well as hard-dollar contributions from foreign donors.
Mr. Trump’s impending action represents a threat to one of the key financial cogs of the left, potentially hindering Democrats’ ability to compete in elections. It is likely to please elements of his base, for whom ActBlue has become a top target. Congressional Republicans have separately been investigating what they claim are the platform’s insufficient security provisions.
For days, Democratic groups have been worried that the White House was planning executive orders or memorandums that would target an array of nonprofit organizations. White House officials insisted no such orders were being drafted and maintained that stance for days.
On Thursday, Politico and other news outlets reported that Mr. Trump planned to sign an ActBlue memorandum later in the day. The person briefed on the preparations insisted that the memorandum was different from the type of order that Democrats had speculated might be in the offing, because it related to foreign donations.
Just over two weeks ago, Mr. Trump signed memorandums targeting two officials from his first term for investigation by his current government. One, Miles Taylor, has been deeply critical of the president. The other, Chris Krebs, was targeted for rejecting Mr. Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud involving voting machines.
The Republican scrutiny of ActBlue has focused on claims — thus far unsubstantiated — that it allows straw and foreign donations. Federal election law bars straw donations, and it prohibits foreign citizens without permanent residency from donating directly to federal political candidates or political action committees.
A Justice Department investigation into ActBlue is likely to create vulnerabilities for the entire Democratic fund-raising apparatus. Party consultants have relied on ActBlue to bring in donations. Candidates, committees for federal and state legislative chambers, and liberal caucuses use the platform as their primary mechanism to process donations.
“ActBlue plays a vital role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy and the organization strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities,” said Megan Hughes, an ActBlue spokeswoman. “We will always stand steadfast in defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy and ActBlue will continue its mission undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fund-raising platform for the millions of grass-roots donors who rely on us.”
There is great fear across the Democratic Party that any of the entities that have used ActBlue could soon find themselves enmeshed in an investigation into foreign contributions from a hostile Justice Department with direction from Mr. Trump.
As word of the impending Trump memorandum circulated among Democrats, panicked Democrats blasted fund-raising appeals.
“Please, while we still can, make a donation to my campaign’s emergency fund through ActBlue,” Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote to supporters on Thursday afternoon. “Any amount at all. We’ve got to be ready for any outcome, and we’ve got to start preparing now.”
ActBlue itself got into the fund-raising game. Regina Wallace-Jones, the platform’s chief executive, wrote to Democratic partners late Wednesday asking for money to help “fight against the creeping despotism of the right, and to win back power in Washington, D.C., and the halls of government across the country.”
She wrote that the looming threat of an executive order or memorandum from Mr. Trump had already damaged ActBlue and its allies.
“The current strategy of distraction and exhaustion is effective,” she wrote. “We see this across the country and are not immune to this ourselves. The flow-on effect from the initial innuendo of the E.O. caused many in the ecosystem anxiety and distress.”
ActBlue has faced internal turmoil since Mr. Trump won the presidential election in November. At least seven senior officials quit the organization in late February, prompting two employee unions to warn of an “alarming pattern” of departures that was “eroding our confidence in the stability of the organization.”
Republicans have been encouraging the Trump administration to investigate ActBlue.
This month, the leaders of three Republican-led House committees accused the group of not doing enough to prevent fraud and demanded more information about the recent resignations. Last week, several of the people who left ActBlue received their own letters asking them to appear before Republican congressional investigators.
Last month, several Republican lawmakers urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to investigate ActBlue or to help them do so.
And Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona asked the F.B.I. to investigate whether ActBlue had allowed Democrats “to skirt the integrity of federal campaign finance laws,” including by processing donations that originated in hostile foreign countries.
Elon Musk, the president’s billionaire adviser who poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the 2024 election, has criticized ActBlue for weeks, claiming without evidence that the organization was funded by Democratic megadonors including Herb Sandler, who died in 2019. On Thursday, Mr. Musk wrote on his social media platform, “ActBlue is guilty of widespread criminal identity theft.”
Last month, the White House brought in Scott Walter, the president of the conservative watchdog group Capital Research Center, which has investigated ActBlue, to brief senior officials on the organization and other aspects of Democratic political financing.
On Thursday, Mr. Walter suggested that the planned memorandum was about compliance with election law, and was not an effort to undermine Democrats’ electoral prospects.
“Liberal funding schemes for political and charitable giving have drawn criticism from left- and right-leaning watchdogs,” he said in a statement.
Democrats and their allies reject that.
In a fund-raising email on Thursday, the Democratic-aligned news organization Courier Newsroom said the actions against ActBlue and other liberal groups “aren’t about election security — they’re about silencing dissent and cutting off the resources behind grass-roots resistance to Trump’s authoritarianism.”
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Michael Wolff
12/16/2015 4:26:32 PM
jeffrey E. [jeevacation@gmail.com]
Re: Heads up
Importance: High
I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.
On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 11:52 PM, jeffrey E.
if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?
On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 8:00 PM, Michael Wolff
wrote:
I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you–either on air or in scrum afterwards.
please note
The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the property of
JEE
Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved
The aurora borealis lit up the night sky over Monroe, Wis., on Tuesday night. The northern lights were visible as far south as Alabama and Florida
Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Geomagnetic storms brought the northern lights to much of the U.S. on Tuesday night, painting the sky in vibrant hues of green and pink.
The Aurora Borealis was spotted in a large swath of states, including Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Washington state. Northern lights were visible as far south as parts of Florida and Alabama, a relatively rare occurrence that highlights the severity of this week’s storms.
“Well, we had activity tonight — a lot of geomagnetic storm activity,” Shawn Dahl, service coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, said in a video on X.
The aurora borealis glows above rural Monroe County, Wis., as a strong geomagnetic storm from recent solar activity pushes the northern lights unusually far south on Wednesday.
Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images
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Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images
A geomagnetic storm happens when charged particles from the sun’s atmosphere interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. In addition to creating dazzling displays of color, such storms can disrupt technology on Earth, from satellites and GPS to radio communications and the power grid.
Tuesday’s activity was the result of a phenomenon called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), massive blasts of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s outer atmosphere that grow in size as they hurtle towards Earth.
Two CMEs arrived on Earth on Tuesday, Dahl said.
The aurora borealis lights up the night sky east of Denver on Tuesday.
Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY Network via Reuters
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Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY Network via Reuters
The resulting storm reached G4 levels, the second-highest on NOAA’s five-step scale, and created a magnetic field that was “not only eight times stronger than what’s normal but … also favorable for continued activity,” Dahl said in a later update.
Forecasters are awaiting a third and final CME, which they expect will arrive on Earth at midday Wednesday and be even stronger than the previous two.
“That was the most energetic and strongest of this activity out there in space,” Dahl said. “It was traveling significantly faster than these other two, and we think that’s going to pack even a stronger punch than what we’ve already experienced.”
The Space Weather Prediction Center says the aurora may become visible “over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to northern California.”
The Met Office, the U.K.’s national weather service, says the aurora may also be visible over parts of Britain on Wednesday night, though it is likely to be obscured by cloud cover — as was the case in Michigan on Tuesday.
Luckily, Americans in northern states won’t have to wait long for another chance to get a glimpse.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center “aurora viewline forecast” shows the swath of the northern U.S. in which the northern lights might be visible on Wednesday.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center
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NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center
How to see (and photograph!) the northern lights
A dark setting is essential to see the aurora, so it’s important to get away from light pollution if you want a good glimpse of the northern lights. It’ll be easiest to see between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to NOAA.
A person watches the northern lights over Hulah Lake in northern Oklahoma on Tuesday.
Andy Dossett/USA TODAY Network via Reuters
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Andy Dossett/USA TODAY Network via Reuters
It is difficult to predict the exact timing and location of the northern lights, but you can sign up for different services that alert you when an aurora may be visible in your area. For example, a citizen science platform called Aurorasaurus allows users to report when and where they see an aurora, and gives estimates on how visible an aurora is in a given area.
Another option is an app called My Aurora Forecast & Alerts, available for download on both iOS and Android devices. This is a location-based app that gives viewing probability and forecasts.
Smartphone cameras are better at capturing the full array of an aurora than our naked eye, so be sure to go out with your phone to view a fuller spectrum of colors. If your phone camera has a night mode option, it’s best to switch it on when photographing the northern lights. You can also switch your phone camera to manual mode and adjust the exposure settings to get the perfect picture.
The aurora brightens the sky over Putnam Lake in Patterson, N.Y., on Tuesday.
Frank Becerra Jr./USA TODAY Network via Reuters
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Frank Becerra Jr./USA TODAY Network via Reuters
Why we are seeing more northern lights
Auroras have been happening more frequently in the United States for a while, and will continue to do so for several months. This influx of shimmering colors comes because the sun is reaching the peak of its 11-year cycle and, therefore, its solar maximum. The solar maximum causes solar eruptions, and this increase of activity brings ions, or electrically charged particles, closer to Earth. This stream of particles is known as the solar wind.
As solar winds get closer to Earth, the charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. When they collide, light is emitted. The light emits at various wavelengths, creating a colorful display throughout the night sky.
When the sun is at its solar maximum, the number of solar eruptions increases, which is why there are more auroras in the sky. Usually, this activity only takes place near the Arctic Circle, but since solar activity is strong right now, viewing areas have expanded to other regions, like the Midwest.
News
Newsom claims Trump is ‘handing the future to China’ at Brazilian climate confab that WH skipped
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the most prominent American official to attend the COP30 global climate conference in Belém, Brazil, this week — using the platform to criticize the absent Trump administration.
The White House mocked the trip, noting California’s continued rank among the highest in U.S. energy costs.
Newsom’s office put out a summary of his visit to the conference, saying it shows California is “leading by example” and proving that “climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.”
“As Donald Trump abandons American climate leadership, California continues and accelerates its climate action, urging global investors to embrace the technologies and infrastructure driving the clean energy future,” his office said in the release.
NEWSOM SET TO RALLY TEXAS DEMS WITH VICTORY LAP DAYS AFTER PROP 50 PASSES: ‘CALIFORNIA STEPPED UP’
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California has proved it can balance climate and environmental stewardship with economic growth. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Newsom was scheduled to deliver remarks in his role as co-chair of America Is All In, which describes itself as a broad coalition of non-federal actors in the U.S. committed to ambitious climate action. Later, he was scheduled to attend a state-governor’s coalition called U.S. Climate Alliance, and then travel into the Amazon rainforest to meet with “community stewards.”
“While Donald Trump is handing the future to China, California is proving that climate action, business growth, supporting workers, and good-paying jobs go hand in hand,” Newsom said.
“We’re not turning backwards to the failed policies of the past — California is fighting for a clean-energy future, even as President Trump bends the knee to his Gulf-State patrons and takes a nap as the world burns.”
NEWSOM SAYS TRUMP HAS ‘RELENTLESS, UNHINGED’ OBSESSION WITH CALIFORNIA DURING STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed that nine out of 10 days this year, California operated on 100% non-fossil-fuel energy for at least part of the day. (AP Photo)
Newsom made the case during remarks at the coinciding Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium in Sao Paulo that California has proved it can balance climate and environmental stewardship with economic growth.
“We’re running the fourth-largest economy in the world [on] 67%; two-thirds clean energy,” he said.
Newsom claimed that nine out of 10 days this year, California operated on 100% non-fossil-fuel energy for at least part of the day:
TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO BOYCOTT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT AS TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’
“I don’t know if there’s another jurisdiction in the world that can lay claim to that.”
“We are proving the paradigm: The genius of ‘and,’ not the tyranny of ‘or’,” he said in remarks to Milken CEO Rich Ditizio.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers cited California’s consumer energy costs, and claimed that Newsom would not be attending such a summit if he was sincere about the issue as thousands of acres reportedly had to be cleared for a “special purpose highway” into the rainforest.
NEWSOM WARNS AMERICANS ‘YOU WILL LOSE YOUR COUNTRY’ UNDER TRUMP AT CALIFORNIA SUMMIT
Belem officials denied the highway, Avenida Liberdade, was built expressly for the summit, according to reports.
“Governor Newscum (sic) flew all the way to Brazil to tout the Green New Scam, while the people of California are paying some of the highest energy prices in the country: Embarrassing,” Rogers said.
“It’s time for Newscum and other countries to drop the climate façade. President Trump will not allow the best interest of the American people to be jeopardized by the Green Energy Scam. These Green Dreams are killing other countries, but will not kill ours thanks to President Trump’s commonsense energy agenda,” she added.
NEWSOM UNVEILING CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING EFFORT TO COUNTER TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXAS
At the conference, former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee claimed to the COP30 conference that the U.S. has not pulled out of the Paris climate accords.
“One part of the United States has, and that’s the federal government,” he told Germany’s Deutsche Welle.
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At a business conference in Greece this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright commented on the Trump administration’s absence, calling the confab “essentially a hoax.”
“It’s not an honest organization looking to better human lives,” Wright said, adding that he may drop in on the 2026 conference to deliver some “common sense.”
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