Longtime Trump foe Adam Schiff (D-Ca.) reacted furiously to President Trump suggesting the Democrat should go to prison - as Trump orders a fraud investigation into notorious Democratic fundraiser ActBlue.
A signed memorandum from Trump directs attorney general Pam Bondi to probe possible fraudulent contributions to ActBlue, which has faced scrutiny for its lax standards.
ActBlue weakened its donation standards twice in 2024, encouraging its staff to "look for reasons to accept contributions.”
A White House fact sheet noted that ActBlue only recently started to require donors to provide credit card security codes, known as CVVs. The administration also pointed to a House Republican investigation that uncovered a concerning pattern of fraudulent activity involving foreign and domestic donors.
"Over a 30-day window during the 2024 election cycle, ActBlue detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards," the White House said.
Trump's memorandum directs Bondi "to investigate and take appropriate action concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make 'straw' or 'dummy' contributions and to make foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law."
In a Truth Social post targeting ActBlue's "illegal SCAM", Trump singled out Schiff and suggested he should go to jail.
"The USA is wise to these scoundrels and crooks. Also, why did the Auto Pen give Schiff a Pardon?" Trump wrote. "Biden knew nothing about it. Who operated the Auto Pen? That is the biggest question being asked in D.C. They almost destroyed our Country. They should all be in jail!!!"
Schiff, along with other January 6th committee members, received a pre-emptive pardon from Joe Biden that was signed with an autopen.
“Donald Trump is back to attacking me today because the economy has been in a tailspin under his economic mismanagement," Schiff wrote on X.
"And so have his poll numbers. And the last thing he wants — is people holding him accountable. Attack me as you much as you like, Mr. President, I’m not backing down.”
Schiff gained notoriety as a Trump antagonist during Trump's first term, when Schiff led the first impeachment effort against Trump and pumped the baseless "Russian collusion" narrative linking Trump to the Kremlin.
Last year, Schiff leveraged his ties to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and his reputation as a Trump critic to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.
While Trump says the investigation into ActBlue is about election integrity, Democrats have decried the probe as an authoritarian act of retribution against Trump's enemies and "our democracy."
