Federal judge halts DHS-funded Trump ads after ruling them likely illegal
President Trump personally pushed for the creation of taxpayer-funded television ads promoting himself and was involved in their production, The Wall Street Journal has reported, as a federal judge ordered the spots halted late Sunday after finding them likely illegal.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon in New York issued a four-page order that barred the administration from using government funds to distribute the ads. The judge said the administration must cancel “any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements.” The order applied immediately to any ads scheduled to run later on Sunday night, though it was not immediately clear whether the ruling kept any additional ads off the air.
The Justice Department told the court in a weekend filing that the ad buy was slated to end on Sunday.
The ads, which predominantly feature Trump and promote the administration’s policies, began airing on national television in September and were paid for with federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security. Trump personally pushed for the ads and was involved in their creation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The lawsuit that prompted Sunday’s ruling was filed by plaintiffs including the advocacy group Common Cause and a Democratic candidate running for office in Alabama. They argued the expenditures were used for purposes not authorized by Congress and violated restrictions on using public funds for political propaganda.
“There is no legal justification—and no precedent—for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda,” the plaintiffs said in response to the ruling.
Trump said last week he plans to pay for the ads using funds from his MAGA Inc. super PAC rather than the federal government.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.