UPDATE: ActBlue Fundraising Platform In Turmoil

Update: Additional comment by Elon Musk.

As executives resign and the last lawyer has his email shut off.

(Can anybody say USAID … or would that be a conspiracy theory.)

The progressive fundraising powerhouse ActBlue, which has funded Democrat candidates and causes for two decades, has entered a death spiral as executives flee and investigations mount.

ActBlue, the online fund-raising organization that powers Democratic candidates, has plunged into turmoil, with at least seven senior officials resigning late last month and a remaining lawyer suggesting he faced internal retaliation.
According to the letter from the ActBlue unions, which has not been previously reported and was confirmed as authentic by three people briefed on its contents, the senior staff departures began on Feb. 21. That day, ActBlue’s customer service and partnerships directors, who had both worked at the group for more than a decade, left, according to the unions’ letter.
“Now, my primary mission is rest,” Alyssa Twomey, ActBlue’s departing vice president for customer service, wrote on social media. “After 14+ years of living and breathing all things ActBlue, it’s time for a reset. I’m taking an intentional pause before setting course for my next adventure.”
The next week, several other senior officials left, including the associate general counsel — who was the highest-ranking legal officer at ActBlue — the assistant research director, a human resources official, the chief revenue officer and an engineer who had spent 16 years building and maintaining the electronic pipes through which the group’s donations flow.
As these people left, Zain Ahmad, who was the last remaining lawyer in the ActBlue general counsel’s office, wrote in an internal Slack message on Feb. 26 that his access to email and other internal platforms had been cut off and that other messages he had posted in Slack had been deleted, according to a screenshot obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Ahmad is now on leave from ActBlue, according to a person briefed on the group’s staffing.
What could be happening that would cause most of the executives and all but one of the lawyers to flee a sweet gig?

Issues discussed in this article:

During the 2024 campaign, we began to see a lot of suspicious activity that indicated federal election campaign violations on a Biblical scale.
People who never contributed to any campaign suddenly discovered they had sent hundreds of dollars to Democrat candidates.
Further investigation revealed that ActBlue accepted donations from prepaid credit cards and foreign credit cards. They even accepted contributions from countries under sanctions.
Nineteen Republican attorneys general launched an investigation into ActBlue's fundraising practices.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--OXt6v3_Xs

ActBlue probably will not survive this. The flight of its senior staff and legal department indicates potential felony indictments on the horizon. A lot of hostile eyeballs will be watching ActBlue's donations very carefully using sophisticated data analysis tools. ActBlue's brand will be associated with fraud and lawbreaking far beyond what we associate with the usual Democrat-run organization. I'm sure WinRed, the less effective Republican clone of ActBlue, will be found to have similar problems. All of this is sure to lead to increased monitoring of online fundraising by the FEC and the Department of Justice. And in November 2026, we'll see just how many real people donate to Democrats.

Way too much to post here:

https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/03/07/leftist-fundraising-platform-in-turmoil-as-executives-resign-and-the-last-lawyer-has-his-email-shut-off-n2186411

“We Will Put Your Fatass In Prison … Sweetheart”

https://x.com/dom_lucre/status/1854636663806337441

Trans Antifa member arrested over bombing at Alabama Attorney General's Office.
"That device had the characteristics of an IED, and Calvert added a substantial number of nails and other shrapnel to increase its destructive capability."

A trans person with links to Antifa was arrested and charged with the February detonation an improvised explosive device, a nail bomb, outside the Alabama attorney general's Montgomery office.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, was indicted on Wednesday and charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
The charges per the indictment allege that Calvert "maliciously damaged, and attempted to maliciously damage, by means of fire and explosive materials, the Alabama Attorney General's Office," and that Calvert "knowingly possessed a firearm, to wit: a destructive device... which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record."
A detention memo from a US attorney's office stated, "That device had the characteristics of an IED, and Calvert added a substantial number of nails and other shrapnel to increase its destructive capability."
The explosion was outside the office of Attorney General Steve Marshall on February 24, in the early hours of the morning, at approximately 3:42 am. Surveillance footage showed an individual wearing dark clothes, a mask, and goggles near the statehouse. 
In addition to the explosive device, law enforcement officers discovered that Calvert vandalized state buildings with stickers that were advocating for various political ideologies. These included Antifa and anti-police sentiments as well as sentiments expressing opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Some of those stickers read, "Support your local antifa," and surveillance footage showed the individual putting the stickers on the doors of the Alabama State Capitol Building. Shortly thereafter, the suspect could be seen near the attorney general's office, right before the explosion. They were then seen walking away.
A security officer working at the Southern Poverty Law Center nearby called police to report the explosion, but when Montgomery officers arrived, they cleared the call as they were unable to see anything wrong. The damage was discovered the following Monday morning.

Calvert also identifies as trans nonbinary.
The memo from the US attorney's office stated further that Calbert had a "belief that violence should be directed against the government, and he described his inability to control his own violent, aggressive impulses."
Prosecutors have asked for Calvert to be detained without bond. Prior to the arrest, Calvert posted videos showing office his extensive Antifa propaganda before the attack he is accused of carrying out.
Marshall was pleased that a suspect had been apprehended. In a statement Marshall said, "My staff and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief this morning knowing that this individual has been taken off the streets."
"Although more information will be provided in the weeks to come," he continued. "I think it is safe to say that this was not a random act of violence. We are grateful to our federal and local partners for their assistance in this matter and are pleased that the offender faces federal charges carrying significant prison time."
Calvert could face up to 20 years if convicted of the crime. A mandatory minimum would require Calvert to serve at least five years.
Calvert has also posted videos on TikTok in support of Palestinian terror group Hamas. He said, "This might be a bit of a deep cut but um," and went on to explain that supporting Hamas is the same as supporting the American Revolutionary War fighters overthrowing the British or supporting the South Vietnamese fighters against the North Vietnamese during the conflict in that nation in the 1970s.
That detonation happened one day after the controversial decision from the attorney general's office to not prosecute fertility doctors and providers who provide in vitro fertilization, despite the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling declaring that the embryos created as part of that process are life. However, a motive has not been released by prosecutors at the publication of this report.

https://thepostmillennial.com/trans-antifa-member-arrested-over-bombing-at-alabama-attorney-generals-office?utm_campaign=64499

 DeSantis signs anti-illegal alien bills: Increased penalties, illegal IDs, invalid licenses.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed three bills passed this year by lawmakers aimed at further cracking down on illegal immigration and illegal aliens in Florida.
He made the announcement in Polk County with Sheriff Grady Judd and other officials and lawmakers.
One bill increases penalties for illegal aliens who commit crimes in the state after already having been deported for being there illegally. The legislation increases the severity of each degree of felony by one degree: a third degree would become a second degree, a second degree a first degree, and a first degree turns into a life felony.
•    DeSantis vowed that Florida will “throw the book” at illegal aliens who come back to Florida to commit crimes.
•    It also increases a second degree misdemeanor to a first, and a first degree misdemeanor to a third degree felony.
•    Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, sponsored it. Reps. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, and Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, carried the House version.
•    It takes effect Oct. 1.

Another bill prevents local governments from validating community IDs for illegal aliens.
•    The governor noted that giving out such IDs is already not allowed, but the measure goes further in preventing them from validating such IDs.
•    Ingoglia, Michael and Jacques carried the legislation.
•    It takes effect July 1.

The third bill increases penalties on those who drive without a valid driver’s license.
•    The legislation hikes penalties on those with a revoked, suspended, or revoked license, along with increasing penalties on repeat offenders.
•    It was sponsored by Ingoglia, along with Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Lake Mary.
•    It takes effect July 1.

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez and Attorney General Ashley Moody praised lawmakers for forwarding the bills and DeSantis for signing them.

https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1768656442754502847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1768656442754502847%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fflvoicenews.com%2Fdesantis-to-sign-anti-illegal-alien-bills-increased-penalties-illegal-ids-invalid-licenses%2F

https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-to-sign-anti-illegal-alien-bills-increased-penalties-illegal-ids-invalid-licenses/

 Okay, the headline cracked me up so I had to share:

Florida Attorney General Moody tells Biden ‘put down the ice cream cone,’ resolve border crisis.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – At a press conference where Gov. Ron DeSantis signed anti-illegal immigration bills Friday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody had a message directly for President Joe Biden on handling the border crisis.
“As a wife of a law enforcement officer, I plead directly to our president,” she said. “Put down the ice cream cone, pay attention and let’s save lives.”
“I don’t mean to make light of this, but put down whatever you are doing,” the attorney general said. “This is not a partisan issue. These are people that are coming together, and communities that have lost loved ones, that are feeling the dangerous effects directly a result of your decisions as to the security of this country.”
“Pay attention. Reverse course. Secure this border,” she said. “Listen to the director of the FBI, listen to the families that have lost loved ones. Listen to the Floridians who want safe communities and have to rely on a state government to defend borders when that is the responsibility of the president of the United States.”
Moody went on to thank DeSantis for current and past actions targeting illegal aliens.
Read more about the legislation DeSantis signed into law at this link:
https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-to-sign-anti-illegal-alien-bills-increased-penalties-illegal-ids-invalid-licenses/
or check out my next post.

https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1768657855178059909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1768657855178059909%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fflvoicenews.com%2Fflorida-attorney-general-moody-tells-biden-put-down-the-ice-cream-cone-resolve-border-crisis%2F

https://flvoicenews.com/florida-attorney-general-moody-tells-biden-put-down-the-ice-cream-cone-resolve-border-crisis/

 Texas AG tells Biden administration to pound sand in response to threatening DHS letter.
'The facts and law side with Texas,' said Ken Paxton, attorney general of the Lone Star State.

Texas seized control last week of a 47-acre municipal park in Eagle Pass where hordes of illegal aliens have poured into the homeland in recent months and years. In doing so, the state ousted the federal border agents camped within who were otherwise handcuffed by the Biden administration's apparent unwillingness to enforce immigration law and secure the border.
The Biden administration was enraged by the Lone Star State's effort to reinforce American sovereignty. The Department of Homeland Security sent a strongly worded cease-and-desist letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Sunday, demanding Texas cave and grant federal agents "full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area."
Paxton responded in a Jan. 17 letter effectively telling the Biden administration to pound sand.

Addressing a vulnerability.
Texas took control of Shelby Park on Jan. 10 under an emergency declaration from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in an effort to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the state. The park adjoins a high-traffic 2.5-mile stretch of the Rio Grande where the state's floating barrier was installed to dissuade migrants from fording the river.
The Texas National Guard established fencing around the perimeter of the park and blocked entrances to the river with the aid of border barriers and soldiers. While the state permitted U.S. Border Patrol agents access to the boat ramp in the park and entry if responding to a medical emergency, it appears to have otherwise barred access and entry to federal agents.
"Texas has the legal authority to control ingress and egress into any geographical location in the state of Texas, and that authority is being asserted with regard to that park in Eagle Pass, Texas, to maintain operational control of it," said Abbott.
Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement, "Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden's reckless open border policies."
Blaze News previously noted that over 300,000 illegal aliens stole into the U.S. over the southern border in December, the highest monthly tally on record. That puts the total for this fiscal year at over 800,000, not including all of the recent border crossings that have gone unreported.
2.47 million, 2.37 million, and 1.73 million illegal aliens entered the United States in fiscal years 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Biden administration lashes out.
White House spokesman Angelo Fernandez Hernandez blasted the park seizure as an "extreme" political stunt purposed to "demonize and dehumanize" people, reported Bloomberg.
"Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border," wrote Hernandez.
While White House officials beat their chests, Jonathan Meyer, general counsel for the DHS, sent a letter to Paxton on Jan. 14 complaining that Texas had ousted U.S. Border Patrol from the park and denied it access following the seizure.
After suggesting the DHS was "committed to securing the border," Meyer claimed the Lone Star State's actions "conflict with the authority and duties of Border Patrol under federal law and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Texas's actions also improperly seek to regulate the federal government."
Extra to accusing Texas of flouting federal law, Meyer blamed Texas for the recent drowning of three illegal aliens. The DHS general counsel intimated in his letter that the migrants perished after allegedly having trouble stealing into the country via the Shelby Park area and could alternatively have been saved by Border Patrol agents, hampered by Texas officials.
"Texas's failure to provide access to the border persists even in instances of imminent danger to life and safety," wrote Meyer.
The DHS issued the following ultimatum: "If you have not confirmed by the end of day on January 17, 2024, that Texas will cease and desist its efforts to block Border Patrol's access in and around the Shelby Park area and remove all barriers to access to the U.S.-Mexico border, we will refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate action and consider all other options available to restore Border Patrol's access to the border."
Texas doesn't blink.
Paxton did not mince words in his reply, obtained by the Daily Caller: "Your letter misstates both the facts and the law in demanding that Texas surrender to President Biden's open-border policies. Because the facts and law side with Texas, the State will continue utilizing its constitutional authority to defend her territory, and I will continue defending those lawful efforts in court."
The Lone Star State's attorney general stressed that the DHS "should stop wasting scarce time and resources suing Texas, and start enforcing the immigration laws Congress already has on the books."
In his letter, Paxton cast doubt on several key claims made in the DHS letter, noting that:
• Texas was not impeding lifesaving care for illegal aliens and continues to permit access to U.S. Border Patrol "responding to a medical emergency";
• contra to Meyer's claim that the DHS is committed to "'rendering emergency assistance to individuals in need,'" it allegedly absolved itself of such a duty in 2023 "and advised the Texas Department of Public Safety that federal personnel would not be present to administer aid unless Texas called for help";
• the migrants who drowned did so on the Mexican side of the river, and the U.S. federal agents present as the incident unfolded "did not even have a boat, and they did not request entry based on any medical exigency";
• safety threats facing migrants were the product not of Texas border defenses but of Biden administration polices, adding "nobody drowns on a bridge"; and that
• per 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(3), U.S. Border Patrol's lawful, warrantless access to borderlands is only "for the purpose of patrolling the border to prevent the illegal entry of aliens."
Paxton concluded his letter noting, "President Biden has authorized DHS to send a threatening letter through its lawyers. But Texas has lawyers, too, and I will continue to stand up for this State's constitutional powers of self-defense. Instead of running to the U.S. Department of Justice in hopes of winning an injunction, you should advise your clients at DHS to do their job and follow the law."
Within hours of the DHS' reception of Paxton's defiant message, the Biden administration was dealt another blow, learning that the Lone Star State's controversial floating wall wasn't going anywhere.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a December order requiring Texas move its floating barrier on the Rio Grande, reported the Associated Press.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/texas-ag-tells-biden-administration-to-pound-sand-in-response-to-threatening-dhs-letter

 Florida attorney general launches investigation into College Football Playoff’s FSU exclusion.
(I think this is pretty much a lost cause but I like the fact that the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is getting called out on their biased selection.)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said her office is investigating potential “anticompetitive conduct” of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee after it excluded Florida State University from the playoff.
“As it stands, the Committee’s decision reeks of partiality, so we are demanding answers—not only for FSU, but for all schools, teams and fans of college football,” Moody said. “In Florida, merit matters. If it’s attention they were looking for, the Committee certainly has our attention now.”
In a press release, Moody’s office slammed the committee’s “secretive selection process.” The investigation began with a Civil Investigate Demand from Moody’s Antitrust Division.
Moody demanded the following from the committee:
    •    All communications relating to deliberations to or from the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of Five conferences, Power Five conferences or any other person relating to the deliberations;
    •    All documents relating to public statements relating to the deliberations, including media talking points and interview notes;
    •    Documents relating to restrictions of the Conferences against having alternate playoff schedules;
    •    Documents showing compensation of members in 2023;
    •    Documents sufficient to show all recusals of Committee members from deliberations; and
    •    The Committee’s standards relating to ethics and conflicts of interest.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office:
The demand is also vying to determine the “individual votes and vote tallies” by committee members on the playoff decisions.
Instead of Florida State, the committee selected Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama for the college football playoff. Winners of each semifinal game will compete for the national championship on Jan. 8, 2024.
The attorney general’s office also wants to find out which individuals gained “access” to the votes, along, who was present during the vote and who has knowledge about the “administration or use of the software or program” used to record such votes.
According to the committee, teams are selected to make the college football playoff on the following criteria.
    •    Championships won
    •    Strength of schedule
    •    Head-to-head competition (if it occurred)
    •    Comparative outcomes of common opponents (without incenting margin of victory)
Under its principles, “unavailability of key players” also is listed. The factor, according to guidelines, may affect a “team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.”
Moody’s office derided the committee’s decision as one that will cost the school and the ACC “millions of dollars.” It pointed to the Florida State Seminoles’ undefeated 13-0 record.
Beginning next season, the College Football Playoff committee selection process is moved to a 12-team format. Initially No. 4, Florida Stated moved down to No. 5 in the rankings, leaving them out of the final spot.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott also recently demanded “answers” from the committee on its decision regarding FSU.
In a letter, Scott said he was shocked by the committee’s choice on deciding to keep Florida State from the playoff despite being a perfect 13-0.
The Seminoles also defeated the Louisville Cardinals in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game, becoming the first undefeated Power 5 team to be left out of the playoff.
“Florida State is a different team than they were the first 11 weeks,” College Football Playoff committee chair Boo Corrigan said. “If you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team.”

 
https://flvoicenews.com/florida-attorney-general-launches-investigation-into-college-football-playoffs-fsu-exclusion/

 Texas AG Ken Paxton Releases Barn-Burning Statement After Impeachment Acquittal.

As RedState reported, Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted of all impeachment charges on Saturday, representing a blow to Democrats and a group of Republicans who had sought to remove him from office. The impeachment centered on various corruption charges involving a real estate deal and several so-called whistleblowers.
Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has also helped block school choice in the Lone Star State, spearheaded the effort, with articles of impeachment officially passed in May. After a tense several hours of every individual charge being voted on, Paxton came out victorious. It would have taken 21 votes to convict, but in the end, the attorney general enjoyed majority support and never even had to break a sweat.
In response, Paxton put out a barn-burning statement, savaging those who sought to take him down.
While he went after Phelan directly, Paxton laid most of the blame on the Biden administration, claiming his impeachment was organized to punish him for his political views. At the end of the statement, he promises retribution, something that will no doubt interest many Republicans who have been waiting for a state AG to fight fire with fire. It will be especially interesting to see what Paxton does on the border crisis. He's been sidelined since the spring, even as Gov. Greg Abbott has escalated various measures, and one would assume he's chomping at the bit to get back to work.
Some questions about where things go next will be answered relatively soon. Paxton is scheduled to sit down with Tucker Carlson soon for an interview. You can bet he's not going to hold back.

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2023/09/16/texas-ag-ken-paxton-releases-barn-burning-statement-after-impeachment-acquittal-n2163895