In a memorandum released Thursday, President Donald J. Trump directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to investigate allegations of unlawful “straw donor” and foreign contributions in American elections, specifically focusing on online fundraising platforms.
The memo, addressed to the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Counsel to the President, cites federal laws (52 U.S.C. 30121 and 30122) that prohibit political contributions made in the name of another person and contributions from foreign nationals.
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Trump expressed concern over press reports and congressional investigations that suggest online fundraising platforms have been complicit in schemes to launder prohibited contributions. The memorandum highlights concerns about “malign actors” evading contribution limits by breaking down large donations into smaller ones, attributed to numerous individuals, potentially without their knowledge or consent. It also raises the issue of “dummy” accounts using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to conceal the true source of funds.
The memo further points to evidence indicating foreign nationals are misusing online platforms to influence U.S. elections. It specifically cites a House of Representatives investigation that revealed a platform, ActBlue, had detected numerous “significant fraud campaigns,” nearly half of which had a foreign nexus. The memorandum also mentioned 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards detected within a 30-day window during the 2024 campaign.
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“These activities undermine the integrity of our electoral process,” President Trump stated in the memorandum. He directed the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to “use all lawful authority, as necessary, to investigate allegations regarding the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees, and to take all appropriate actions to enforce the law.”
The Attorney General is required to report back to the President through the Counsel to the President within 180 days on the investigation’s results.
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