A Democratic duo is pressing the Department of Homeland Security for answers about spending to create and air taxpayer-funded political ads celebrating President Trump.
The president is facing the backlash after a series of TV ads, some of which mirror his past campaign rhetoric, include the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
The administration defends them as patriotic public service announcements, but critics say they illegally reuse his 2024 campaign material.
People were interested in these podcasts
Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, wrote a letter Tuesday demanding answers on what they call “government propaganda” ads.
AdImpact, a political ad-tracking firm, estimates that the administration has spent more than $1.7 million on the ad blitz.
“The American people deserve answers about how this president is literally stealing their tax dollars to air campaign ads celebrating himself — while doing nothing to help them afford health care or housing,” Ms. Murray and Mr. Murphy wrote to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “These ads need to immediately come off the air, taxpayers need to be paid back for this theft, and everyone responsible needs to be held accountable for this corrupt and illegal propaganda.”
They ask whether any funds appropriated for DHS were used to produce, air or promote the ads. The senators also want to know who directed this bankroll and whether federal ethics officials or legal opinions were consulted.
The two are not alone in their qualms about the ads.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that while he liked the message, the ads “shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” while Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, argued that public officials should not spend public money on private ads for themselves.
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland warned that the ads could amount to a Hatch Act violation for any federal employees who worked on them, calling it a potential “felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and other administration officials have defended the spots, labeling them as “epic Public Service Announcements.”
The administration maintains that the ads are not political because they don’t contain an explicit electoral call to action, as Mr. Trump himself is not on the ballot in November.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.