The major Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, which has raised over $16.5 billion for left-wing candidates since 2004, has in recent months faced intense scrutiny over whether it has complied with federal campaign finance laws and prevented illegal contributions.

This pressure and threat of corrective legislation appears to have created cracks in the organization — likely bad news for Democratic candidates and incumbents counting on ActBlue to raise money ahead of the midterm elections.

Several top officials, including the highest-ranking legal officer at ActBlue, have reportedly jumped ship in recent weeks, while those who remain are allegedly stuck dealing with a culture of "volatility and toxicity," and in at least one instance, retaliatory measures.

In a letter to ActBlue's board of directors obtained by the New York Times, unions representing the group's workers identified seven officials who recently quit and stressed that the "alarming pattern" of high-level exits was "eroding our confidence in the stability of the organization."

The senior staff departures reportedly began on Feb. 21, two weeks after the organization reportedly provided congressional investigators with an "update regarding ActBlue's security, fraud prevention measures, and related procedures."

Alyssa Twomey, who went to work for ActBlue in 2010 and has served as the organization's vice president of customer service for the past two years, was among those racing for the exit. She noted in a lengthy LinkedIn post last week that "after 14+ years of living and breathing all things ActBlue, it's time for a reset."

The Times indicated that the organization's associate general counsel, its assistant research director, its chief revenue officer, its partnerships director, a senior engineer, and a human resources official have similarly quit but would not go on the record to detail precisely why.

'This is ILLEGAL.'

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), chairman of the Committee on House Administration, issued a subpoena to ActBlue on Oct. 30 for documents related to its donor verification policies and to the potential for foreign actors to use the platform to launder illicit money into American political campaigns.

In December, Steil revealed that the organization had admitted in documents under subpoena that prior to a policy change in September, it had not automatically rejected donations made with foreign gift cards.

Rep. Marc Molinaro (N.Y.) was among the Republican lawmakers who lambasted ActBlue over the revelation, noting that "as Congressional candidates were reporting millions of dollars in donations, they didn't require the CVV code verification and allowed foreign gift card donations! This is illegal and outrageous."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) similarly stressed that "this is ILLEGAL."

Despite such accusations of illegal dealings, the organization managed to avoid an immediate reckoning; however, congressional Republicans sought to ensure there would be no reversion to bad habits.

'Part of a growing pattern of volatility and toxicity stemming from current leadership.'

The House passed Steil's Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations Act in December, which would have required political committees to collect the credit or debit card's verification value when accepting corresponding contributions over the internet. The legislation would have also required that the card's billing address be located in the United States unless the contributor is an American national living abroad or lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

The so-called SHIELD Act was not, however, passed by the Senate by the end of the 118th Congress. Nevertheless, the Times indicated Democrats fear such legislation could be used to paralyze their top fundraising operation.

While the prospect of the other shoe dropping may have prompted some ActBlue workers to leave, the unions intimated in their letter that the organization's leadership might also be a factor.

The last remaining lawyer in the general counsel's office at ActBlue, Zain Ahmad, alleged that his access to email and other platforms was suspended after the departures, possibly as a form of retaliation.

The unions suggested that Ahmad's allegations were "unsettling and disturbing, and part of a growing pattern of volatility and toxicity stemming from current leadership."

The Times indicated that the unions implored the board to bring in outside counsel and take "investigatory actions to better understand the current state of the organization and evaluate if our C.E.O. is doing her job in an appropriate, competent, and responsible manner."

ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones reportedly elected not to comment on the matter.

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