AG Austin Knudsen launches investigation into GoFundMe
The Montana Attorney General launched an investigation into GoFundMe on Thursday after the company announced plans to withhold $9 million from the Freedom Convoy protesting against vaccine mandates in Canada and instead send the money to other charities verified by the company.
In redirecting the funds, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said the crowdfunding site violated Montana’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.
“Montanans who give to charitable causes should feel confident that their money will go to help the people they intended. GoFundMe’s actions undermine that confidence and should be of concern to those who use their platform. They may have also violated Montana law,” Knudsen said in a Friday news release announcing the investigation. “My office is looking into this matter further, and we will continue to act to protect Montanans from being taken advantage of.”
In a Daily Wire story on Thursday, Knudsen said it Freedom Convoy “is something that very likely had Montana donors participating, given Alberta literally shares a border with us.” Officials in other conservative states, including Florida, Louisiana, West Virgin and Texas, plan on launching probes into GoFundMe’s actions as well, the Daily Wire reported.
Read more: https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/austin-knudsen-launches-investigation-into-gofundme/