Three House committees are banding together to subpoena Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue on Tuesday, accusing the platform of having accepted ‘fraudulent or illegal’ donations for left-wing candidates.

‘In light of allegations that online fundraising platforms that serve as conduits for political donations have accepted fraudulent donations from domestic and foreign sources, the Committees are conducting oversight to inform potential legislative reforms,’ House investigators’ letter to ActBlue read.

‘To further our oversight and legislative reform efforts, on April 2, 2025, the Committees requested documents and communications related to internal misconduct and whistleblower retaliation at ActBlue. Although ActBlue initially provided documents voluntarily, it has since suspended its cooperation with the Committees. Therefore, the Committee on House Administration must resort to compulsory process to obtain the requested materials.’

The subpoena is being led by Committee on House Administration Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Their letter said ActBlue had initially appeared to work with the House committees in April and May before having ‘abruptly changed course’ in June.

‘ActBlue did not provide a legitimate legal basis for refusing future cooperation with the Committees, and instead made baseless and untrue allegations about the Committees’ motives,’ the lawmakers said.

The committees have been jointly investigating ActBlue ever since first raising concerns about their donation practices in 2023.

At the time, Steil accused ActBlue of failing to properly account for private citizens’ security by not requiring a CVV number for credit card donations. That has since changed, however, and ActBlue does currently require that information.

His and other Republicans’ probe has since expanded to question whether ActBlue accepted donations from foreign actors.

Late last month, the committees subpoenaed current and former ActBlue employees to appear for transcribed interviews. They also previously subpoenaed ActBlue itself in October 2024.

Their new subpoena to ActBlue and letter to CEO Regina Wallace-Jones is another escalation in the probe, however.

In a statement to Fox News in late 2024, an ActBlue spokesperson accused Steil of perpetuating ‘inaccuracies and misrepresentations about our platform.’

‘We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform,’ the spokesperson said at the time.

The latest subpoena letter accused ActBlue of lying about the committees ‘improperly coordinating’ with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the matter, and of giving a weak explanation for its lack of cooperation.

‘ActBlue alleges that the Committees are pursuing oversight for an improper purpose of fact-finding for a Department of Justice investigation. This assertion is inaccurate,’ the lawmakers said.

‘As we have explained, the Committees have a legislative interest in protecting the integrity of federal elections and upholding fundamental civil liberties by ensuring that online fundraising platforms are not vulnerable to bad actors, including foreign actors.’

The subpoena gives ActBlue a deadline of Aug. 12 to turn over documents lawmakers are seeking.

Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue for comment but did not immediately hear back.

China denied on Tuesday that it is doing anything wrong as it reportedly prevents ‘dozens’ of Americans from leaving the country under an ‘exit ban’ policy, including at least one U.S. government official.

Reports emerged Monday afternoon that an American citizen, an employee of the Commerce Department, has been barred from leaving China and prevented from returning to the U.S. since his passport, credit card, cellphone and iPad were seized on April 14, reported The New York Times. 

The passport was reportedly returned to the individual one week later on April 22, though he was told he was not allowed to leave China.

The identity of the government official remains unknown, though a spokesperson for the State Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that the individual is a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee and was traveling to China ‘in a personal capacity.’

While it is unclear if any other U.S. government officials have been barred from leaving China, a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry, Guo Jiakun, told reporters on Tuesday during a press briefing that he had no additional details to share.

‘China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law,’ he said. 

In response to Fox News Digital’s questions, the State Department said, ‘The Chinese government has, for many years, imposed exit bans on U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals in China, often without a clear and transparent process for resolution.

‘We track these cases closely, and have raised our concern with Chinese authorities about the well being of our citizens and impact these arbitrary exit bans have on our bilateral relations and urged them to immediately allow impacted U.S. citizens to return home,’ a spokesperson added.  

The department in November 2024 issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Americans considering travel to China. 

The advisory issued a warning to ‘exercise increased caution’ due to Beijing’s ‘arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.’

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said they were ‘not aware of’ the case’s details, but added, ‘China always welcomes foreign citizens, including those of the United States, to come to China and guarantees their safety and legitimate rights and interests in China in accordance with the law, including freedom of entry and exit. 

‘Meanwhile, foreign citizens in China should also respect and abide by Chinese laws,’ the spokesperson added. 

While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has enshrined the ‘right to freedom of movement,’ which says ‘everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country,’ it is not an absolute right, and nations can choose to hold individuals depending on certain conditions, including national security concerns. 

It is unclear why the Commerce Department employee has been blocked from returning to the U.S. where his wife also lives, though he was apparently questioned by Chinese intelligence authorities about his prior military service. 

Reporting has suggested that dozens of Americans have been barred from leaving China, including Wells Fargo Managing Director Chenyue Mao. 

Mao is the latest business executive to be barred from leaving China, which has become increasingly common in recent years, prompting Wells Fargo to suspend all travel to China earlier this month. 

The Wells Fargo banker has reportedly been blocked from leaving China over her alleged link to a criminal investigation. How long she will be required to stay in China remains unclear. 

Neither the Commerce Department nor Wells Fargo immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding this report. 

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded late Monday to having his country under the threat of invasion from a future ‘President Hunter Biden.’

Bukele, who has emerged as a top ally of President Donald Trump and a partner in the U.S. leader’s mass deportation operations targeting illegal immigrants, appeared to laugh off the threat.

‘Is Hunter Biden sniffing powdered milk?’ Bukele replied on X, where he shared a snippet of Biden’s interview with podcaster Andrew Callaghan.

‘These guys think that we need to run away from all values in order for us to lead,’ Biden fumed in the clip, initially speaking about the conservative right. 

‘I say, f— you. How are we getting those people back from f—ing El Salvador?’

‘Because I’ll tell you what, if I became president… I would pick up the phone and call the f—ing president of El Salvador and say, ‘You either f—ing send [illegal immigrants imprisoned in CECOT penitentiary] back or I’m going to f—ing invade.’

Biden then accused Trump and Bukele of a ‘f—ing crime’ and labeled both men ‘f—ing dictator-thug[s].’

The retort called back to Biden’s history of drug use, which notably included a revelation he made to CBS that he would smoke ‘anything that even remotely resembled crack cocaine,’ including ‘more Parmesan cheese than anyone you know.’

Biden’s interview touched on that history, including the incident in which he swore on a federal firearms form that he was not using controlled substances at the time of purchase.

Bukele followed up by sharing news coverage of a three-party prisoner swap between the U.S., El Salvador and Venezuela, to illustrate ongoing cooperation with the U.S.’s current leadership.

‘Maduro’s regime was satisfied with the exchange agreement; that’s why they accepted it,’ Bukele said, adding that Caracas strongman Nicolas Maduro’s regime now ‘shout[s] and express[es] outrage – but not because they disagree with the deal, rather because they just realized they are left without hostages from the most powerful country in the world.’

Bukele had agreed to fly Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. who had been held at CECOT back to Caracas, as the Maduro regime in turn released several Americans being held captive. Venezuela had not initially been accepting of deported illegal immigrant nationals captured by U.S. authorities.

Ten U.S. citizens or legal-permanent residents, who had been held by Maduro, were released, according Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

‘Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world. It is unacceptable that Venezuelan regime representatives arrested and jailed U.S. nationals under highly questionable circumstances and without proper due process,’ Rubio said in a statement.

Bukele also highlighted a clip of U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler calling him a ‘good friend’ of the U.S.

The European Union’s first-ever defense commissioner has issued a stark warning: the world’s ‘most dangerous moment’ could arrive as soon as 2027, when Russia and China may coordinate aggressive moves designed to overwhelm Western defenses.

Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s commissioner for defense and space, echoed recent remarks by U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s top commander for air operations. Both officials highlighted 2027 as a potential flashpoint year when simultaneous military actions by Moscow and Beijing could stretch the transatlantic alliance to its limits.

‘The most dangerous moment can be in 2027, when both Russia and China will make these aggressive moves in a coordinated way,’ Kubilius told reporters during a briefing in Washington.

Grynkewich had warned last week that the United States and its European allies must be prepared to fight two wars simultaneously – one in Europe, should Russian President Vladimir Putin escalate in Ukraine or Eastern Europe, and another in the Pacific if Chinese President Xi Jinping launches an invasion of Taiwan.

‘We’re going to need every bit of kit and equipment and munitions that we can in order to beat that,’ Grynkewich said.

In a speech later Monday evening, Kubilius said the U.S. has the ‘right and reason’ to turn its focus to China.

‘We are recognizing that you, Americans, have really the right and the reason in the longer-term perspective to start to shift more and more toward the Indo-Pacific in order to mitigate Chinese rising military power,’ he said.

‘We Europeans need to ramp up our defense capabilities,’ the former Lithuanian prime minister said, adding: ‘That is what we are doing.’

Their warnings align with growing concerns across the U.S. defense establishment over what is often referred to as the ‘Davidson Window’ – a term coined by former Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Philip Davidson, who testified before Congress in 2021 that China could attempt to forcibly reunify with Taiwan by 2027. The assessment has since become a widely cited benchmark for military planners preparing for a potential crisis in the Indo-Pacific.

The 2027 window has taken on added urgency as China rapidly accelerates its military modernization program, aiming to achieve what Xi Jinping has called ‘world-class’ warfighting capabilities by the People’s Liberation Army’s centennial in 2027. U.S. and NATO officials also fear that Russia, despite sustaining major losses in Ukraine, could reconstitute and redirect its forces toward renewed aggression in Eastern Europe by that same timeframe – placing strategic pressure on two fronts simultaneously.

Kubilius traveled to Washington to assess potential shortfalls in European defense capabilities as the U.S. increasingly pivots its strategic attention toward the Indo-Pacific. He said EU member states are actively preparing for a shift in the American military posture on the continent.

As of 2025, more than 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe – a presence widely expected to decline in the coming years as the Pentagon presses its European allies to assume greater responsibility for their own defense.

‘We are preparing ourselves to take responsibility on our shoulders,’ Kubilius said. ‘We don’t know what Americans will decide.’

Kubilius emphasized that Europe must not only fund its own defense but also build it. He noted that the EU has reduced its reliance on U.S.-made weapons from 60% of total imports to 40%, and hopes to lower that dependency further through increased domestic production.

As defense commissioner, Kubilius is tasked with implementing an $840 billion framework to ‘Re-Arm Europe,’ including a €150 billion loan facility available to member states for building out their armed forces and industrial capacities.

Separately, NATO leaders at last month’s summit in Washington agreed to a sweeping pledge to increase defense spending – raising the benchmark from 2% of GDP to 5% for member countries, a historic shift in alliance posture amid growing global instability.

Adding to the sense of urgency, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would offer advanced weapons systems to Ukraine – on the condition that European partners cover the cost. Western defense ministers convened on Monday to discuss the proposed financing mechanism.

‘We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO and then NATO will distribute that,’ Trump said last week, referring to the high-value air defense systems that Kyiv has long sought.

Kubilius declined to elaborate on which other weapons may be included in the package, but underscored the critical importance of maintaining unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

‘China is watching,’ he said. ‘China will be able to make a conclusion that if the West is weak in Ukraine, then we can expect aggressive behavior from China against anyone.’

The Department of Justice signaled a shift in its approach to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche revealing that he has reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell to gauge her willingness to cooperate with prosecutors.

Blanche confirmed Tuesday that, under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ is now open to hearing what Maxwell might have to offer regarding uncharged individuals who may have participated in Epstein’s criminal enterprise.

‘This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,’ Blanche said in a post on X Tuesday.

Blanche reaffirmed the July 6 joint statement issued by the DOJ and FBI, which concluded that a thorough review of FBI files related to the Epstein case uncovered no new evidence to support charges against additional parties. 

‘Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,’ Blanche wrote.

That memo, which was signed by FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, sparked controversy after President Donald Trump, Bondi and FBI leaders repeatedly said they would release all documents related to Epstein.

Sources told Fox News that Bongino, who signed off on the memo, complained about it in private following public backlash.

The new outreach to Maxwell is in the hopes that Epstein’s convicted accomplice ‘has information about anyone who has committed crime against victims,’ Blanche said.

‘President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence…’ he wrote. ‘Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.’

The new outreach to Maxwell marks the first time, according to Blanche, that any administration has approached her legal team with an inquiry into potential cooperation. 

‘That changes now,’ Blanche emphasized.

Blanche said he ‘anticipates meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.’

David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, confirmed to Fox News that they are ‘in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully.’

‘We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,’ he said.

Patel responded succinctly to Blanche’s statement, writing on X Tuesday: ‘Get it.’

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein traffic teen girls. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and has appealed her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to prosecutors’ and survivor’s testimony, Maxwell helped recruit and groom underage girls, arrange travel and housing, as well as facilitate abuse at properties owned by Epstein.

Victims described Maxwell as a trusted adult figure who manipulated and coerced them into sexual encounters with Epstein and others.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and the FBI for comment.

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that the United States will exit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

‘President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November. This president will always put America First and ensure our country’s membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests,’ White House Deputy Spokesperson Anna Kelly said on Tuesday.

‘The U.S. continues to demonstrate moral clarity in the international arena and when it comes to its involvement and financial investments in international organizations, and makes it clear that it is unwilling to support entities that promote hatred, historical revisionism, and political divisiveness over advancing shared universal values,’ Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar also commended the decision, which he said ‘is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right to fair treatment in the U.N. system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena.’

‘Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional U.N. agencies,’ Sa’ar added.

The move comes as the administration continues to make waves in the international community, and in particular at the U.N. The U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has drawn the ire of the U.N. and other international bodies. 

Additionally, Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his concerns about the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts, which he said would be ‘especially devastating’ to the world’s vulnerable populations, according to Reuters.

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement on the exit that ‘continued involvement with UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States.’

‘UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy,’ the statement read. ‘UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.’

Trump withdrew the U.S. from UNESCO in October 2017, during his first term, but former President Joe Biden had the country rejoin the agency in 2023. In 2017, the State Department said the U.S. was withdrawing from the agency for very similar reasons, suggesting UNESCO has not sufficiently fixed the issues at the center of the Trump administration’s concerns.

President Donald Trump slammed Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., calling the lawmaker ‘the worst Republican Congressman’ in a Monday night Truth Social post, while noting that he is seeking a challenger he can support against the incumbent lawmaker.

‘Thomas Massie, the worst Republican Congressman, and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an Embarrassment to Kentucky. He’s lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous – A real loser! Never has anything positive to add. Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!’ Trump declared in the post.

The president’s post linked to a video by MAGA KY targeting the congressman for ouster. ‘Let’s fire Thomas Massie,’ the voiceover declares.

Fox News Digital reached out to Massie early on Tuesday morning, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Massie, a fiscal hawk, voted against passage of the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Trump has been a vociferous critic of the congressman.

In a Truth Social post last month, the president asserted that Massie ‘is not MAGA,’ and declared, ‘we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard.’

Billionaire business tycoon Elon Musk has indicated that he will donate to support Massie’s re-election bid.