South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has called on the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to conduct a preliminary investigation into online political fundraising platforms such as ActBlue. The request was made through a letter addressed to SLED Chief Mark Keel, where Wilson urged the assignment of agents to examine allegations of suspicious activities on these platforms. The agents are expected to coordinate with Wilson’s office and Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters.
In Wilson’s words, “Nonprofit and political entities must be fully transparent to reassure the public about the integrity of our electoral process.”
This call for investigation follows an earlier correspondence from Wilson on August 22, 2024, where concerns were raised about potentially fraudulent actions linked to ActBlue as well as ActBlue Civics and ActBlue Charities. Reports suggested incidents of “smurfing,” a money laundering method where large donations are broken down into smaller ones, alongside other questionable donation activities.
Wilson highlighted reports of individuals identified as “unemployed” or in modest-paying jobs making unusually large and frequent donations through ActBlue. Such activities, if substantiated, could breach South Carolina’s laws related to charities, regulations, crime, and campaign finance, and possibly infringe federal laws.
Wilson has insisted on transparency for South Carolinians to safeguard election integrity and has demanded that ActBlue provide a comprehensive account of its donor verification processes.
The letter from Wilson can be accessed for further reading.
