ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones did not answer questions from lawmakers at a House Administration Committee hearing Wednesday, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Wallace-Jones and the Democratic fundraising platform have been under scrutiny for years, as House Administration Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and other Republicans have pressed her on allegations of fraudulent donations and misleading Congress since starting an investigation in 2023. 

In a Washington Post op-ed hours before she was set to appear before the committee, Wallace-Jones argued that if lawmakers wanted to discuss legislation related to federal campaign contribution issues, they should also be questioning the head of Republican fundraising platform WinRed. 

“This blatant hypocrisy must not be overlooked,” she wrote.

It was a buzzy moment for the House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over congressional operations and Capitol security, but over the last few years has opted to focus much of its energy on one of its other areas of oversight — federal elections. 

Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, James R. Comer, R-Ky., Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., also showed up Tuesday to question Wallace-Jones. The group are chairs and ranking members of the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which have been involved in the investigation.

Staff held a sign up behind Raskin as he gave an opening statement with quotes from a San Antonio Express-News story about WinRed — the kind of visual aid more often seen in splashier committees that tend to aim for viral soundbytes.

The hearing grew tense as Republicans asked questions that went unanswered about Steil’s investigation, while Democrats used their time to discuss their concerns with WinRed. 

Raskin said the hearing was part of a “political vengeance and vendetta campaign” that has also been unfolding in the House Judiciary panel, where the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center testified Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Steil said, “This hearing was about the fact that ActBlue allegedly lied to Congress. This is about getting the answers.” 

A New York Times story in April reported that outside counsel hired by ActBlue advised that Wallace-Jones may have given a potentially misleading response to Republican questions about how the platform screened contributions from overseas.

Republican lawmakers focused on that line of questioning, as Wallace-Jones repeatedly declined to answer. She batted aside other inquiries too. 

“I want to make sure I’m respectful. Is it Ms. Jones or Ms. Wallace-Jones?” asked Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga.

“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question, pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution,” she replied.

Despite agreeing to appear voluntarily, Wallace-Jones’ attorney had asked the committee for a subpoena on Monday, which the committee issued, according to Republicans. 

Democrats on the panel sought to draw attention to Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate and sued ActBlue in April. House Administration ranking member Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., made a motion to subpoena him, saying Paxton hadn’t responded to Democrats’ questions about any similar probes of GOP fundraising practices. The motion was tabled in a 5-3 vote on party lines.

“Anyone in Washington today knows a hearing on ‘preventing fraudulent donations’ without looking into WinRed is not a serious proceeding,” Morelle said.