Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against ActBlue, a Democratic donation platform, accusing it of illegally accepting campaign contributions that violate federal law. The suit follows an earlier lawsuit by ActBlue alleging constitutional violations by Paxton.
ActBlue, which is accused of violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution through its operations, filed a lawsuit against Paxton last month. In response, Paxton has counter-sued, claiming ActBlue’s donation processes allow for fraudulent and foreign contributions.
According to ActBlue’s chief legal officer, Lawrence Oliver, Paxton has spent over two years using the authority of his office to investigate and sue the organization. “The timing of Paxton fighting for his political life in his run for a U.S. Senate seat and his use of the Attorney General’s office to attack ActBlue should not be lost on anyone,” Oliver stated. “He is wasting taxpayer dollars to benefit his political ambitions.”
Oliver further emphasized that Paxton’s actions are not law enforcement but rather retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech. “That is not law enforcement,” he added. “It is retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.”
The allegations against Paxton include claims that his investigators attempted to use an American Express gift card on ActBlue three times without success but concealed these failures from Texas courts. ActBlue also reposted a social media message from a Democratic activist stating: “Let’s be clear about something: the only reason Republicans are targeting ActBlue is that they want to destroy the Democratic Party’s ability to raise money from small-dollar donors.”
Paxton has previously stated on social media, “ActBlue is trying to take me down. I sued the fundraising platform for deceiving Americans by lying about its donation processes that allow fraudulent and foreign donations. I will hold those who break the law accountable.”
