House Republican committee chairs have summoned Ronald Machen, an attorney for ActBlue, for a closed-door interview scheduled before October 9, 2026. The move comes as GOP investigators intensify their probe into whether the Democratic fundraising platform improperly accepted donations from foreign nationals. In a letter sent Monday, committee leaders stated that information previously disclosed by Machen appears to contradict data collected by the committees, specifically regarding ActBlue's standards for verifying donor citizenship.
The letter was sent by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Wis.), Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.). These committees are leading the investigation into ActBlue, a platform used by prominent Democratic figures including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The summons follows a briefing Machen provided to the committees on September 11, 2026, regarding the accuracy of statements made by ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones about the company's donor and passport collection processes.
What the Left Is Saying
ActBlue has consistently denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the findings presented by Republican lawmakers. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the organization rejected the implications of the GOP's investigation. Democratic leaders have argued that the probe is politically motivated, with some House Democrats criticizing the GOP efforts to investigate foreign donations. The company has maintained that it has actively improved its verification standards since the beginning of the investigation, asserting that its compliance and vetting policies are robust.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican committee chairs argue that Machen's prior comments to Congress were misleading. The letter described Machen's review as an "after-the-fact sugarcoating of ActBlue’s misconduct and Ms. Wallace-Jones’s misrepresentations to the House Administration Committee." GOP lawmakers point to a 2024 review by ActBlue's former outside counsel, Dana Remus, which allegedly found a "substantial risk" that some funds raised were impermissible contributions from foreign nationals. The chairs noted that Remus found passport checks were "never conducted" for donations made via third-party platforms like Apple Pay or PayPal.
The Republican letter highlighted that Machen had conceded his forensic review found ActBlue processed donations with foreign indicators despite failing to identify a passport number or other indicia of eligibility. However, the chairs stated that documents produced to the committees undercut Machen's assertion that ActBlue's policy was "as close to 100 percent as it could be." They cited evidence that if a donor lacked a U.S. passport or address, an employee could use placeholders such as "ACTBLUEXX" in the passport number field, allowing subsequent contributions without valid verification.
What the Numbers Show
According to the letter, Machen's forensic review was limited to the year 2023, excluding data from the 2024 election cycle. GOP investigators stated that documents produced to the committees show ActBlue relaxed its vetting practices twice in 2024. The investigation focuses on the verification of donor citizenship, specifically noting that the passport number field only requires the correct number of characters rather than a valid code for a donation to be accepted. The committees are examining whether this system allowed foreign cash to flow into Democratic campaigns and causes.
The Bottom Line
The summons of Ronald Machen marks an escalation in the House GOP's investigation into ActBlue's fundraising practices. The closed-door interview is set to take place before October 9, 2026. Investigators are seeking to reconcile Machen's previous testimony with newly produced documents that allegedly demonstrate gaps in ActBlue's verification of donor citizenship. The outcome of this inquiry could influence ongoing legislative efforts to tighten election donation rules and may impact the credibility of Democratic fundraising operations ahead of future electoral cycles.