{"id":2177056,"date":"2024-02-15T11:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T16:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-official-pressed-by-lawler-over-actblue-fundraising-for-anti-israel-group\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T12:03:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T17:03:54","slug":"biden-official-pressed-by-lawler-over-actblue-fundraising-for-anti-israel-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-official-pressed-by-lawler-over-actblue-fundraising-for-anti-israel-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawler questions Biden official on ActBlue&#8217;s support for anti-Israel group"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-official-pressed-by-lawler-over-actblue-fundraising-for-anti-israel-group%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2177056&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Republican Lawmaker Questions Treasury Department on ActBlue&#8217;s Alleged Support\u200c for Anti-Israel Group<\/h2>\n<h3>Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) grilled Treasury\u200b Department official Brian Nelson \u200con \u2062Wednesday, demanding answers as to why the agency has failed to\u200c investigate ActBlue, a top Democratic fundraising platform, for its alleged support of an anti-Israel group linked to terrorism.<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;ActBlue Charities allowed the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to fundraise on \u200bits platform \u2062for two years until repeated calls by the Examiner to address this,&#8221; Lawler\u2063 stated during the House Financial Services Committee hearing. He pointed out that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) had sent a letter to Nelson in September\u2064 2023, raising concerns about ActBlue&#8217;s potential \u200cinvolvement\u2064 in funding international terrorism. However, the agency has yet to respond to\u200d Issa&#8217;s inquiry, \u2062prompting Lawler to seek answers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lawler \u2064pressed Nelson on whether the Treasury Department had conducted a review and if they intended to respond to Issa&#8217;s letter. Nelson assured Lawler that they would respond but admitted that he was not currently aware of\u200b any\u2062 such review.<\/p>\n<p>According to sources familiar with the discussions, Issa plans to send another letter to the Treasury \u200cDepartment regarding the ActBlue issue. Lawmakers are increasingly \u200dconcerned about terrorism financing, \u200cespecially after the\u2063 recent attack \u2063on Israel \u200dby Hamas on October 7.<\/p>\n<p>The Palestinian Campaign\u200d for\u2063 the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), which was associated with ActBlue from 2021 to 2023, has been revealed to have ties to \u200bthe Popular Front for the Liberation\u200b of\u200c Palestine terrorist group. PACBI is a project of \u200cAlliance for Global Justice, a charity in \u200bArizona.<\/p>\n<p>ActBlue&#8217;s \u2062policies explicitly\u200c state\u200b that they \u2062do \u2063not collaborate with organizations that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-and-treasury-must-investigate-actblue-over-anti-israel-fundraising-issa-says\/\" title=\"Issa urges FBI and Treasury to probe ActBlue's anti-Israel fundraising.\">oppose social equality<\/a>, women&#8217;s rights,\u200d LGBTQIA2S+ \u200brights, racial\u2063 justice, diversity, freedom \u200cof \u200cspeech, disability\u2064 rights, and respect for scientific inquiry. Additionally, ActBlue prohibits overseas groups \u2064that are fiscally sponsored, like\u2064 PACBI, from using its services.<\/p>\n<p>In his letter, Issa asked \u200bNelson and FBI Director Christopher Wray if they were aware of the foreign banks\u2063 involved in handling funds raised by PACBI through ActBlue. He also inquired\u200b whether the\u2063 Treasury&#8217;s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network had received any suspicious activity \u200breports related to the ActBlue-PACBI partnership.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">Click here<\/a> to read more from\u200b The Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why did Rep. Lawler \u2062express\u2063 dismay\u200d over ActBlue providing a\u200d platform for an anti-Israel\u200b group\u200c to \u2064raise funds?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Emocrats, including\u200d Rep. Alexandria\u200d Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), have also used ActBlue to\u200c raise\u200c campaign funds.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u2063 questioning comes \u2064as concerns grow over ActBlue&#8217;s alleged support for the Palestinian\u2062 Campaign for the Academic\u2064 and Cultural Boycott of\u2064 Israel (PACBI), an\u2063 organization that advocates for the boycott of Israeli institutions, \u200dacademics, and cultural events.\u200d Critics argue \u2064that the boycott movement unfairly singles\u200d out \u2062Israel and undermines efforts for peace and dialogue in the region.<\/p>\n<p>During the \u200bhearing,\u2062 Rep. Lawler expressed his dismay that ActBlue, \u2063a platform that facilitates campaign fundraising for Democratic candidates, provided a platform for the anti-Israel group to raise \u200bfunds. He emphasized \u200cthe need for\u200d the Treasury Department to take\u200d action\u200c and\u200b investigate this alleged \u2064support of PACBI.<\/p>\n<p>ActBlue \u2062Charities is a non-profit organization\u2064 that enables individuals and organizations to donate to Democratic candidates and causes. \u2063According to\u200d its website, \u200cActBlue\u200d has \u2063raised over $7\u200c billion \u2062for Democratic campaigns \u200dand organizations \u200bsince its establishment in 2004.\u200b The platform\u2064 is widely used by Democratic candidates and has garnered \u2062support from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hearing-over-disputed-protective-order-in-j6-case-set-for-friday\/\" title=\"J6 Case Hearing on Protective Order Set for Friday.\">prominent party members<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lawler&#8217;s questioning \u200cof the Treasury Department official highlighted the\u200b potential implications of ActBlue&#8217;s alleged support\u200b for an \u200corganization linked\u200d to terrorism. The congressman argued that by allowing \u2063PACBI to fundraise on\u2062 its platform, ActBlue may have facilitated the\u200d support of\u200c a group with ties to terrorist activities.<\/p>\n<p>The questioning\u2063 by Lawler also sheds light\u200b on the \u2062issue of political fundraising and the responsibility of platforms like ActBlue\u2062 to \u200bvet the organizations\u200d and causes \u200bthey support. As a major player in Democratic campaign\u200c fundraising, \u2062ActBlue has a significant impact on \u200dthe party&#8217;s success in elections. Questions about the platform&#8217;s involvement with an anti-Israel group raise concerns about \u200dthe alignment of Democratic candidates and organizations with\u200b controversial causes.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the concerns raised by \u2063Lawler expose potential\u200b loopholes in the \u2062oversight and regulation of political fundraising\u200d platforms. As the Treasury\u200b Department official, Brian Nelson, stated during\u2064 the \u2062hearing,\u200d ActBlue is not classified as a \u2063political committee, which\u2064 exempts it\u2062 from certain regulations and reporting\u200d requirements. This raises questions about the adequacy of existing regulations \u2062and the\u2063 need for greater scrutiny of \u2064platforms like ActBlue.<\/p>\n<p>Lawler&#8217;s questioning\u2063 serves as a\u200d reminder \u2064of the \u2062importance of transparency and accountability in political fundraising, irrespective of party affiliation. The allegations\u200b against \u2064ActBlue underscore\u2063 the \u200dneed for thorough investigations into any potential ties between political \u2063fundraising platforms and organizations\u2063 with controversial agendas or links to terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>The Treasury Department has yet to respond \u2063to \u2063Lawler&#8217;s\u2064 questioning, \u200dleaving\u2063 the status of any potential investigation uncertain. However, the fact \u2063that these\u200d concerns have been \u2062raised \u2063and \u200dbrought to public\u2064 attention \u2064highlights the need for further scrutiny of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-democratic-megadonor-sam-bankman-fried-learns-his-fate-on-criminal-fraud-charges\/\" title=\"Democratic megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried awaits verdict on criminal fraud charges.\">political fundraising practices<\/a> and the\u200c importance of holding platforms \u2063accountable\u2062 for the causes \u2063they support.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, Rep. Mike Lawler&#8217;s questioning of the Treasury Department on ActBlue&#8217;s \u2062alleged support for an anti-Israel group \u200dreveals the potential\u200c implications of \u2062political fundraising platforms aligning with controversial causes. The\u200b allegations against ActBlue raise concerns about transparency and accountability in political fundraising, as well as the\u200d need for tighter regulation and\u2064 oversight of such platforms. These questions highlight the importance of \u200cthorough investigations\u200c and the necessity of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-on-rampant-crime-in-sf-attitude-of-lawlessness-in-u-s-springs-from-i-dont-know-where\/\" title=\"Pelosi On Rampant Crime In SF:  \u2018Attitude Of Lawlessness\u2019 In U.S. \u2018Springs From I Don\u2019t Know Where\u2019\">holding platforms accountable<\/a> for their\u200c support of organizations with potentially harmful agendas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) questioned a Treasury Department official about the agency&#8217;s lack of investigation into ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform accused of supporting an anti-Israel group tied to terrorism. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) previously urged the FBI and Treasury Department to review ActBlue Charities in September 2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2177057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-15-at-9.25.20%E2%80%AFAM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2177056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-15-at-9.25.20%E2%80%AFAM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2177056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2177057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2177056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2177056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2177056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}