ActBlue Employees Invoked Fifth Amendment 146 Times in 2025 Depositions

Senior employees at ActBlue invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination 146 times during depositions conducted by a congressional panel in 2025, according to an interim staff report released by three House committees, as reported by the Washington Examiner.

The report states that the employees did not answer any questions posed to them. ActBlue operates as a fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns and faces accusations from House Republicans that its security measures allowed prohibited donations, including from foreign donors, to U.S. electoral campaigns.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that internal memos from ActBlue's lawyers indicated the platform may have provided misleading information to Congress about its security protocols. According to the memos, ActBlue had stated to Congress that it maintained rigorous measures to prevent prohibited donations.

However, the memos noted that nonresident foreign nationals could potentially use third-party payment platforms to bypass those safeguards. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued ActBlue, stating that staff in his office made prohibited donations through the platform to demonstrate its vulnerabilities.

The deposed individuals included an unnamed senior staffer who managed fraud prevention efforts, former general counsel Darrin Hurwitz, former associate general counsel Aaron Ting, former legal counsel Zain Ahmad, and former vice president of customer service Alyssa Twomey.

These employees declined to answer questions about their employment periods, roles at ActBlue, any lenient approaches to fraud in 2024, instructions to allow fraudulent donations, involvement in conspiracies to launder foreign funds for the Democratic Party, awareness of identity fraud on the platform, and whether mass resignations at ActBlue related to fraud investigations.

In each instance, the employees responded by invoking attorney-client privilege and their Fifth Amendment rights, stating, "On the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based upon the attorney-client privilege and in reliance on my right under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

" The congressional report stated that the employees' unwillingness to testify heightened the committees' concerns and accused ActBlue of accepting illegal foreign donations and withholding information from Congress.

denied any wrongdoing in response to the report.

A spokesperson for ActBlue stated that invoking the Fifth Amendment is a foundational constitutional right and that the employees exercised it in the face of a partisan investigation. The spokesperson added that allowing such actions could empower attacks on other organizations and individuals.