Washington:
US President Donald Trump ordered the Ministry of Justice on Thursday to investigate the most important fundraising platform used by Democrats, who responded with accusations that he simply armed the government against his political opponents.
The Republican leader signed a memorandum that instructed the attorney -general PAM Bondi to investigate supposed foreign and other illegal payments to platforms, including Actblue, which is used by Democrats to process donations in election campaigns and other causes online.
The Republican said that he wanted the probe to look at the use of 'fundraising platforms to make' straw 'or' dummy 'contributions and to make foreign contributions to American political candidates and committees, all of whom break the law. “
While the order insisted on a broad investigation, Trump specifically quoted Actblue, a non-profit group whose platform has become a juggernaut with small dollars, but who has long been the target of non-built accusations by Republicans.
Top Trump consultant Elon Musk tweeted about the organization several times in March and accused it – without providing evidence – of fraud and posts: “Something stinks about Actblue.”
Action against one of the most important sources of income for liberal causes can hinder the ability of Democrats to compete in the interim elections next year that will decide who checks the congress for the rest of the second term of Trump.
Strawonations – donors who give money in the names of other people – and foreign contributions to federal political candidates or political action committees are against American legislation.
But Trump's memo attracted accusations for the third time in so many weeks that he abused his power for personal and political purposes.
Earlier this month he signed memorandums who ordered criminal investigations from two officials who had tarted him during his first term.
One of the officials, Chris Krebs, was the target of rejecting Trump's false claims that the 2020 elections he lost to Joe Biden was stolen by means of widespread voters fraud.
'The silence of Grassroots donors'
Trump was also condemned by Democrats for a number of executive orders who punished specific law firms who had adopted work for which he objected.
Republican interest in Actblue was intensified during the 2020 elections, amid an avalanche of personal contributions and polls showing that voters were fed up with dark money and business influence in politics.
Three house committees – judiciary, administration and supervision – released a report on 2 April in which “extensive fraud … including foreign sources” claimed on Actblue and accuse the platform of reducing its prevention – efforts.
The probe contained no significant new examples of misconduct, but said that nearly 500 pages of internal actblue documents that were released in addition to his report “show a lack of dedication to stopping fraud and painting a picture of complacency.”
Some Democrats, including senator Ruben Gallego from Arizona, race to insist donations from supporters “while we can still”, like others, to accuse Trump of abusing his office.
“His approval classification is refueling, and he panics over the midterms,” Democratic Strategist Mike Nellis, a former top assistant for 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, posted on X.
“This is for his billionaire friends to buy more elections, while silent the donors of the base and the breaking of the infrastructure of the DEMs.”
Colleague -democratic strategist and consultant Sawyer Hackett said that the move 'Trump's most authoritarian action so far' could be.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
