Wisconsin’s Susan Crawford Donated To Democrat Fundraising Giant Under Fire For Alleged Fraud
Wisconsin’s leftist state supreme court candidate Susan Crawford previously gave hundreds of dollars to a Democrat-aligned fundraising platform under fire for alleged fraud, The Federalist has learned.
Federal Election Commission records reviewed by The Federalist appear to show that Crawford — who is running against conservative Brad Schimel in Wisconsin’s April 1 supreme court race — gave numerous small-dollar donations to ActBlue during her time as a private lawyer. As described on its website, ActBlue is an “online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, progressive organizations, and nonprofits.”
Totaling $250 across eight years (2011-2017), the donations were made during Crawford’s time working with the Madison-based law firm Pines Bach LLP (formerly Cullen Weston Pines & Bach LLP). According to The Cap Times, Crawford worked with the firm for roughly eight years before successfully winning election as a Dane County Circuit Court judge in 2018.
Pines Bach LLP named Crawford an official “partner” in September 2013 and subsequently congratulated her on her 2018 victory.
Federalist readers are likely familiar with the scrutiny ActBlue has come under in recent years over allegations that loopholes within its donor verification system may have allowed unlawful monies to fund left-wing political causes. Until late last year, for example, the Democrat-aligned fundraising giant had accepted donations made via credit cards that did not include the card verification value, or CVV.
As The Federalist’s Matt Kittle previously reported, a big part of the controversy surrounding ActBlue are accusations that it has acted as a “’money laundering operation,’ suspected of serving as a conduit for smurfing.” Former Federal Election Commission member Hans von Spakovsky has described smurfing as a campaign finance-related process that “involves breaking up large-scale donations in a way that disguises who the money is actually coming from, so the contribution limits on how much money can be donated to a particular candidate can be skirted.”
As part of their ongoing efforts to investigate the fundraising platform, congressional Republicans issued a letter several months ago expressing concerns that ActBlue “has maintained poor anti-fraud practices that have allowed bad actors to make fraudulent political donations, including from foreign sources.” They most recently sent a request to the Treasury Department last week for “Suspicious Activity Reports” filed since January 2023 that relate to “money laundering, counterfeit credit/debit card, credit card or debit card fraud, false statements, wire transfer fraud, or identity theft” associated with ActBlue.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that ActBlue is currently engulfed in “internal chaos,” with “at least seven senior officials resigning late last month and a remaining lawyer suggesting he faced internal retaliation.” The outlet noted how the “exodus has set off deep concerns about ActBlue’s future.”
Despite the allegations of financial wrongdoing plaguing the Democrat-aligned fundraising machine she previously donated to, Crawford has sought to make campaign spending a major part of her messaging strategy ahead of Wisconsin’s April 1 election. Specifically, she’s attempted to create controversy over monies donated in support of Schimel tied to Elon Musk.
During the candidates’ lone debate last week, for instance, Crawford conflated Schimel and Musk’s names in a statement decrying the money the latter’s PACs have reportedly spent to support the former’s election.
“Elon Schimel is trying to buy this race. And people are very upset about that and they are disturbed about that,” Crawford said.
What Crawford and her backers have often ignored, however, is the influx of out-of-state cash boosting her campaign stemming from Democrat mega-donors. Campaign finance records show that leftist billionaire George Soros, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman have collectively given hundreds of thousands to the state Democrat Party bankrolling Crawford’s campaign.
Crawford’s campaign did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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