88-Year-Old Widow with No Computer 'Gave' Democrats $150K, Records Show

An 88-year-old Michigan widow, Elizabeth Waffle, claims that federal records attribute over $150,000 in ActBlue donations to her name over five years, despite her stating she does not have the means to contribute such an amount. Waffle, who lives in a trailer in Milan, Michigan, told Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff that the numerous small contributions listed in federal filings do not reflect actual donations she made. The records show 14,696 separate donations, approximately eight per day, averaging around $9.18 each. Waffle, living on a modest pension, said the total was impossible. Waffle explained that she does not own a computer and has spotty internet access, making it unlikely she could have made so many frequent donations. She pointed out that some of the donations were made from a trailer she recently moved into and from an apartment she briefly rented in town. Some entries even list contributions to out-of-state candidates she said she has never heard of. “This is very abnormal,” she said, reviewing the records. “I think it’s wrong, and I think there’s something in there that’s off.” Among the disputed donations are 47 to Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Socialist running in Michigan’s August 4 Senate primary. El-Sayed’s campaign has claimed he is the state’s top ActBlue fundraiser, raising ten times the small-dollar money compared to Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). A recent Detroit News/WDIV poll placed Stevens ahead by about seven points. Commenters on social media platforms noted the discrepancy, with one suggesting the platform might have incorrectly assigned hundreds of thousands of dollars to elderly donors who likely did not contribute the funds. Another user asked, “Where is this money really coming from?” and called for an investigation. The situation echoes similar reports from earlier this year, when elderly Democrats claimed thousands of donations had been logged in their names without their knowledge. At the time, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) stated he had shared the committee’s findings with several state attorneys general and remained open to working with state law enforcement. The issue has gained attention amid broader scrutiny of ActBlue, which is under investigation for alleged illegal foreign donations. ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising platform, faces ongoing scrutiny from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This follows a New York Times report that revealed the organization's external legal team warned it may not have followed proper protocols to prevent fraudulent campaign donations from foreigners. The report also indicated that ActBlue may have misled Congress about these matters. ActBlue has asserted attorney-client privilege over the requested documents, including former interim general counsel Aaron Ting’s resignation letter and an internal memo alleging retaliation for exposing internal misconduct. ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones testified before the House Administration Committee on June 10 but declined to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Bryan Steil (R-WI), and James Comer (R-KY) subsequently threatened the platform with contempt over withheld documents. The Washington Times attempted to reach ActBlue for comment but received no response. Meanwhile, Waffle continues to question the legitimacy of the donations attributed to her name, expressing concern over the accuracy of the records and the potential implications of the discrepancies.