President Trump must cancel all remaining TV ads Paid with millions of taxpayer dollars to promote his political message, a federal judge ordered Sunday night, even though the government said the ad campaign was ending.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in New York sided with a coalition including the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause that challenged the ads as an illegal misuse of funds. She told the government to cancel any remaining advertising, including any aired on Sunday night, in order to issue a temporary restraining order.
“During the two-week period of the order, the defendants shall not enter into, renew or expand any agreement authorizing the development, creation, distribution, placement or broadcast of the challenged advertisements,” the judge said.
The order takes effect Sunday at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Asked for comment, the White House pointed to Trump’s Oct. 5 social media post in which he argued that taxpayer-funded ads were “pretty standard” but said amid the backlash he would pay for them through political fundraising. In court documents filed late Saturday, the Justice Department argued that the temporary restraining order was unnecessary because “the alleged violations will end tomorrow.”
The Department of Homeland Security spent $20 million in taxpayer money to produce these ads. Legal experts believe this violates a federal statute prohibiting the use of congressional appropriations for “publicity or publicity” and may violate other laws.
“We are pleased that the court has acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for this blatantly illegal political propaganda,” the plaintiffs said in a statement issued by Democracy Forward, a nonprofit legal organization representing them. “The president has no legal basis, and no precedent, for using funds appropriated by government agencies and Congress to influence the outcome of an election to advance his own agenda.”
In a court statement on Saturday, senior Homeland Security official Holly Mellinger wrote that the money comes from funds appropriated by Congress and “can be used, among other things, to ‘commemorate efforts and activities related to border security.'”
Contract records show the Department of Homeland Security awarded LMD Agency $20 million for a “national media campaign” that began on September 20. According to non-governmental databases, one day ago, the White House Office of Management and Budget allocated $20 million to the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection for “OBBB commemoration activities.” The Washington Sun first reported the source of the funding.
The White House argued the ads were public service announcements, similar to what past administrations have done to promote various policies. But recent ads differ from many public service announcements of the past in that they are not designed to help the public benefit from a specific government program.
A White House official said last month that the PSAs were “clearly not political,” noting: “The president is not on the ballot and the ads do not call people to action.”
The ads, which began airing in late September, praise Trump and echo his political messaging in the midterm elections. There is a clip of Trump talking about The threat of communism The other is a rerun of his last presidential campaign ad. The campaign’s fifth ad, which begins airing Tuesday, focuses on the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro.
The use of public funds to pay for advertising has drawn harsh criticism, including from some in the Republican Party.
“It should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters.
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy on ‘Face the Nation’ explain Last month, “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or [former DHS Secretary] Kristi Noem or John F. Kennedy should use public funds to create private ads for themselves. “
The Democratic National Committee has separately sued the Republican administration over the ads.
“This is the kind of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is a gross and illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” a group of Senate Democrats said in a letter last month.
Amid the backlash, Trump said he would start using his campaign account to pay for ads. A White House official said there are no immediate plans to repay the money the government has spent.
In addition, a lawyer for the artist JMSN, whose song “Love Me” was used in one of the songs. advertiseLast month, he sent a cease-and-desist letter to White House chief of staff Suzy Wiles, asking the Trump administration to stop using his songs.
“For anyone who has followed my career and knows what I stand for and the foundation of my career, it should be self-evident that I will never license my music for use in any political agenda or campaign,” the artist posted on social media.