Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission on Monday requesting it adopt new rules to curb potential donation fraud, the New York Post reported.The request comes amid allegations that ActBlue Charities Inc., a Democratic fundraising platform, has accepted at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent donations, prompting some to question whether the platform is involved in a money-laundering scheme, Blaze News previously reported.'Illegal and malicious conduct have no place in our elections.'Independent journalists uncovered a long list of questionable and suspicious donations, including one individual who donated more than 20,000 times since 2019, according to FEC records. James O'Keefe interviewed some individuals listed as having donated "thousands of times per year."O'Keefe shared the findings in a post on X, stating, "Cindy Nowe of Annapolis, Maryland, allegedly contributed over 1,000 times to ActBlue in 2022, totaling $18,849.77. That means Cindy would have had to donate three times a day, every day, for the whole year. When asked if she donated $18,850 to ActBlue, Nowe tells [O'Keefe Media Group], 'No, I don't think so.'"ActBlue is gathering campaign donations on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. According to recent reports, she raised more than $200 million in one week.Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares was the first AG to announce that his office plans to look into the allegations against ActBlue. Attorneys general in Missouri and Wyoming have also opened inquiries in light of the accusations.Steil wrote to the FEC, "Following widespread allegations of fraudulent donations being reported to the FEC by ActBlue, one of the largest fundraising platforms in the country, this emergency rule-making is necessary to reassure the American people that ActBlue is taking the necessary steps to protect its donors."He called for the FEC to enact a new rule that would require fundraising platforms to verify the Card Verification Value of credit cards and address information. Additionally, Steil is pushing for the FEC to put an end to gift-card donations, which he said could be used to facilitate foreign straw donations."Illegal and malicious conduct have no place in our elections. Ensuring all parties are complying with federal election law as we approach a presidential election is of utmost importance," Steil continued. "Allowing political committees to accept donations from gift cards or other prepaid credit cards promote the appearance and the very real possibility that straw donors are making campaign donations with funds provided by another person or an unlawful donor including a foreign national."He noted that the issues pose "a serious loophole to the transparency and integrity of the campaign donation process."ActBlue recently told Newsweek, "This investigation is nothing more than a partisan political attack and scare tactic to undermine the power of Democratic and progressive small-dollar donors. We welcome the opportunity to respond to these frivolous claims."The fundraising platform did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An Ohio elementary school gym teacher reportedly was hit with federal child porn charges after FBI agents found him in a hotel room late last month with a naked girl believed to be 5 or 6 years old.Federal court documents accused 44-year-old Mark Altherr of making more than 260 posts on a website meant to serve pedophiles over the last three years.The district immediately placed him on administrative leave.Altherr had worked for the Oak Hills School District since 2019, according to officials. The suspect had allegedly written on the website about his own acts of sexual abuse in regard to a 10-year-old neighbor, an 8-year-old he said had a "crush" on him, and a 4-year-old he was looking after. FBI officials said they had been monitoring posts to the pedophile website when they uncovered Altherr's identity and discovered he worked at Delshire Elementary School. Court documents said officers went to his home but were unable to find him. When they pinged his phone, they saw he was at a public place in Columbus. They followed him to a hotel where they allegedly found him in a room with the girl. Altherr was arrested July 26 — the same day agents started looking for him — and investigators determined he likely posted at least one explicit image of that same girl with him in the room to the website, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.More from the paper:Agents obtained the room number from hotel staff, knocked on the door and announced their presence. According to the documents, Altherr opened the door, saw the agents and then tried to shut it. The agents prevented him from doing that and arrested him.The FBI later seized two USB drives at his Delhi Township home that, according to court documents, contained videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children.Altherr was charged with one federal count of child pornography possession and one federal count of child pornography distribution. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on both counts. The district immediately placed him on administrative leave and said the charges were serious enough to begin the process of firing him. "The Oak Hills Local School District is working closely with and fully cooperating with the FBI and law enforcement agents regarding the ongoing investigation," read a statement from district officials. "When more information becomes available, and legally permissible, we will share it with families and the community."WCPO-TV published a video report that includes Altherr's booking photo. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Biden-Harris administration announced Saturday that it plans to expand the areas in Mexico where foreign nationals can schedule an appointment online to make an asylum claim at a port of entry, the Associated Press reported.The Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One application, launched under the current administration in its effort to expand so-called legal pathways, allows foreign nationals to request an appointment before reaching the southern border. After surrendering to Border Patrol agents at a designated entry point, they are typically released into the U.S. on their own recognizance with little vetting while awaiting years-out court hearings to review the validity of their asylum claims. 'Make commitments of pro bono support for those who are unrepresented in immigration proceedings.'Currently, foreign nationals wishing to nab one of the CBP’s 1,450 daily slots must be in central or northern Mexico when they try to make the appointment. Moving forward, the White House stated that those who have migrated to some parts of southern Mexico, including Chiapas and Tabasco, will also be eligible to request an appointment through the online app. The administration did not reveal when this change will take effect.The extended eligibility update was in response to a request from Mexico, the AP reported.CBP stated, “We consistently engage with our partners in the Government of Mexico and work together to adjust policies and practices in response to the latest migration trends and security needs.”From January 2023 through June, more than 680,000 foreign nationals have scheduled appointments through the app, according to the AP.Amid the overwhelming crisis, the Biden-Harris administration is requesting pro bono assistance from immigration attorneys to address the massive backlog of cases caused by its open border policies. On Wednesday, the White House released a fact sheet stating, “The Administration is announcing a call to action for members of the legal community, including law firms, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders to make commitments of pro bono support for those who are unrepresented in immigration proceedings. In response, the American Bar Association will leverage its existing resources to help and encourage more lawyers to provide pro bono support to unrepresented noncitizens in immigration proceedings.”In a post on X, the ABA wrote that it “remains concerned about the growing backlog of cases immigration courts, especially due to a lack representation by counsel.” It encourages lawyers to offer their services.Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse of Syracuse University reported that there are currently 3.7 million pending immigration cases. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Defenders of Democracy Alert: Watch Jamie Raskin Say Congress Will Stop Trump Taking Office If He Wins

Living in an Episode of 'Veep': Julia Louis-Dreyfus Will Be 'Extra-Involved' in Kamala Harris Campaign

Rockets Fired at Iraq Air Base That Hosts US Forces

Report: Federal Air Marshal Whistleblower Says Tulsi Gabbard Being Surveilled Under 'Quiet Skies' Program

Crisis at the Border: Under Biden, at Least 99 Illegals on Terror Watch List Released Into United States

Ashli Babbitt $30 Million Wrongful Death Suit Hearing Set for August 6

Tulsi Gabbard is Reportedly Under TSA Surveillance. Why?