An 88-year-old widow living in a trailer in rural Michigan says she was shocked after learning that federal campaign finance records attribute nearly $150,000 in political donations to her over the past five years, as reported [1] by The Gateway Pundit.
According to reporting first highlighted by Michigan Enjoyer and later detailed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff, Federal Election Commission records list Elizabeth Waffle as making 14,696 separate donations totaling nearly $150,000 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue.
The records indicate the donations averaged roughly eight contributions every day for five years.
Waffle told LeDuff she had made a handful of legitimate political donations over the years because she considered herself a supporter of Democratic causes.
However, she said the volume and total amount of donations listed under her name were impossible.
According to the records, Waffle also made 47 separate donations to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during the past two years.
After reviewing the records, Waffle said she did not recognize many of the listed contributions.
She also said some donations were connected to previous addresses and others were directed to candidates she had never heard of.
“One hundred and fifty thousand?… Hell no. I don’t have that kind of money. This is very abnormal,” Waffle said.
“I think it’s wrong, and I think there’s something in there that’s off.”
The latest claims arrive as ActBlue continues to receive scrutiny from congressional investigators and federal authorities regarding its donor verification procedures and allegations involving potentially fraudulent campaign contributions.
ActBlue has previously faced questions regarding donor verification, including allegations involving straw donations, foreign contributions, prepaid cards and other payment methods.
According to the original report, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones reportedly invoked her Fifth Amendment rights multiple times during congressional testimony concerning foreign contribution questions.
Investigative journalist James O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Media Group, pointed to earlier reporting by his organization on similar allegations.
“This isn’t news to us—we’ve been investigating ActBlue fraud for years. Illegal donations threaten election integrity. The work to expose the truth continues…” O’Keefe said.
The issue has also drawn attention from several state attorneys general and congressional investigators.
According to the report, ActBlue and other online political fundraising platforms are being examined by at least 20 state attorneys general, as well as the House Administration Committee.
The fundraising platform is also involved in litigation in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, where a judge recently allowed limited discovery to move forward.
The article also referenced previous reporting from December 2024 by The Gateway Pundit’s Brian Lupo concerning campaign finance data analyzed by engineer Chris Gleason.
According to that reporting, Gleason identified what he described as large numbers of individuals making hundreds or even thousands of political donations annually.
The report stated that many of those listed appeared to be ordinary Americans rather than wealthy political donors and claimed investigators observed recurring patterns within campaign finance records.
In October 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requested that the U.S. Department of Justice open a criminal investigation into ActBlue.
According to Paxton’s office, investigators uncovered what they described as a network involving alleged straw donations made through false identities and payment methods that were difficult to trace.
Additional investigations were launched in August 2024 by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray.
According to the report, Miyares opened an investigation into ActBlue, ActBlue Civics, Inc. and ActBlue Charities, Inc. following allegations of fraudulent, deceptive and illegal activity involving the organizations.
The article also stated that in April 2026, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into alleged unlawful voter mule activity involving ActBlue.
The investigations and legal proceedings remain ongoing.