U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., promoted a new website on Thursday that allows Americans to see if fraudulent actors have used their name to make illicit political donations to Democratic candidates.
The site comes amid growing allegations that ActBlue, an online donation processor for Democrats, has received an influx of cash for Democratic candidates that, according to lawsuits and investigations, used the names of Americans who had no knowledge of the donations at all.
“There’s now more evidence that illicit overseas donors are using the corrupt Democrat donor platform ActBlue to exploit campaign finance loopholes and make donations in the names of people without their knowledge,” Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“These are fraudulent, ILLEGAL practices that CANNOT be tolerated,” he added.
Johnson posted the website in question, CheckMyDonation.org, which allows users to type in their name to see if it has been used to make a political donation.
“Law enforcement is investigating a new form of identity theft called ‘straw donors’ or ‘smurfing,’ in which fraudsters use the identities of innocent victims to make political contributions to candidates,” the site reads. “CheckMyDonation.org is a free public service to identify potential victims.”
The site cautions users to make sure the address and occupation, and not just the name, match up.
Johnson’s post comes amid allegations that overseas donors have been making illegal donations using Americans’ information without their knowledge.
The House Administrative Committee launched an investigation into ActBlue, which also faces a a lawsuit from a Republican strategist in Wisconsin who says his name was used to give $900 to Democrats without his knowledge or consent.
Former Herman campaign staffer Mark Block reportedly said someone made 35 to the Kamala Harris’ campaign using his name, first reported by The New York Post.
Both Virginia and Texas have opened investigations into ActBlue.
On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called on the Federal Election Commission to address the issue with new regulations.
“Certain platforms appear to facilitate straw donor transactions, where a contributor disguises his identity by attributing his contribution to another, unaware person,” the petition said.
As The Center Square previously reported, The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has also begun an investigation pointing to “reports of potentially fraudulent and illicit financial activity.”
“These bad actors could include foreign nationals not lawfully admitted for permanent residence who are prohibited by statute from contributing to campaigns or political parties,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
ActBlue did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
