Staff Reports
In a fiery hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) grilled top Treasury Department official Brian Nelson on the agency’s reluctance to investigate ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform. Lawler, always in the pursuit of truth and justice, demanded answers as to why ActBlue has been turning a blind eye to the support it provided to an anti-Israel group linked to terrorism. With the determination of a bloodhound on the trail, Lawler pressed Nelson to reveal whether the agency has initiated any review and why his colleague, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), had been left hanging in the wind without a response.
This whole debacle started when Issa called for the FBI and Treasury Department to look into whether ActBlue Charities Inc. breached federal law for its association with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions National Committee, of which the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel is a founding member, has been causing trouble by targeting Israel, and it seems ActBlue has been giving them a platform to do so. But despite Issa’s pleas for a thorough review, the agency has been quieter than a church mouse, leaving Lawler to shake the proverbial tree for answers.
Lawler also pointed out that ActBlue’s own policies state that it does not work with organizations that are against social justice, women’s rights, LGBTQIA2S+ rights, and more. But the fact that they allowed the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to fundraise on their platform for two whole years sends alarm bells ringing. It’s like inviting a fox into the henhouse and then acting surprised when the feathers start to fly! Lawler was clearly agitated by the Treasury Department’s lack of action and made it clear that this issue is of grave concern to lawmakers in light of recent attacks on Israel.
To make matters worse, it was revealed that the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group, a no-good, trouble-making organization if there ever was one. And yet, ActBlue seemed perfectly content to let them carry on with their nefarious fundraising activities on their platform. It’s like ActBlue has been playing a game of “pin the tail on the terrorist organization” and keeps missing the mark!
Despite Nelson’s promise to respond to Issa’s letter, Lawler was relentless and would not be swayed by empty words. He made it crystal clear that the Treasury Department’s inaction is unacceptable, and with the tenacity of a dog with a bone, he is determined to get to the bottom of this. After all, allowing an organization with ties to terrorism to thrive on a fundraising platform is like letting the fox guard the chicken coop. And nobody wants a fox guarding their chickens!
