Note the bizarre Biden-Harris "Chip In Now" fundraiser is an ActBlue endeavor.
https://capitalresearch.org/article/actblue-the-lefts-favorite-dark-money-machine/
This is the equivalent of George Soros taking up the collection at church, ffs.
>https://capitalresearch.org/article/actblue-the-lefts-favorite-dark-money-machine/
So what is ActBlue, anyway?
As InfluenceWatch explains, ActBlue is a service for left-wing groups and Democratic politicians to fundraise without setting up an online donation infrastructure themselves. Money passes through ActBlue to the ultimate recipient and ActBlue collects a fee as payment. This also has the added effect of obscuring the ultimate recipient, since money passing through ActBlue looks like a donation to ActBlue—not to, say, Black Lives Matter.
Hundreds of groups ranging from left-leaning to far-left use this platform, funneling an incredible $1.5 billion into political causes so far in the 2019-2020 election cycle. Its proved so successful that it spawned a conservative analogue, WinRed, which has raised $235 million for Republicans in the same period.
But the trick to ActBlue is understanding that it’s a single brand encompassing 3 separate nonprofits: a 501(c)(3) called ActBlue Charities, a 501(c)(4) called ActBlue Civics, and a PAC (also called a “527”) simply called ActBlue. These groups all share leadership and office space but are legally distinct entities.
Disclaimer language at the bottom of BlackLivesMatter.org’s ActBlue donation page indicates that funds are processed through ActBlue Charities, the 501(c)(3) arm, so donations are tax-deductible. Similarly, left-wing advocacy groups such as Demand Justice fundraise through ActBlue Civics, the 501(c)(4) arm, while Democratic PACs and campaigns fundraise through the ActBlue PAC.
Here’s the bottom line: these are three money “pots” which don’t spill over into each other. Money raised by a 501(c)(3) cannot be donated to a PAC or campaign; that would violate laws governing nonprofits and elections.
No Accountability?
The real story missed by the media and pundits is far more disturbing.
ActBlue Charities and ActBlue Civics file Form 990 reports with the IRS, meaning that their top-line finances are publicly disclosed. (ActBlue PAC is governed by the Federal Election Commission and so files different reports.) In 2018 (the latest year available), ActBlue Charities reported almost $24 million in revenues and ActBlue Civics took in an impressive $49 million.
But nearly all the money ActBlue Charities and ActBlue Civics paid out is reported generically in one lump, as “passed-through contributions”—meaning those ActBlue nonprofits don’t have to disclose which groups they passed money to or how much each group received in total.
Considering the Left’s loathing for untraceable “dark money,” that’s shocking hypocrisy.
Other nonprofits largely function as pass-throughs, but they normally report the end-recipient of the money flows. I’m not aware of any other nonprofits that hide that lumping everything into the generic expense of “passed-through contributions” the way ActBlue does. In fact, I wonder if any reporter has ever asked ActBlue Charities and ActBlue Civics if the IRS has explicitly okayed their highly convenient non-reporting?