Common Cause and DNC sue over DHS-funded campaign-style ads
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon ordered Sunday that the Trump administration could no longer run a series of commercials paid for with Department of Homeland Security funds that promoted President Donald Trump, putting a two-week block on the ads while the courts consider a resolution. On Monday, the commercials continued to air.
The Department of Justice filed an apology with the court on Monday. “The undersigned apologizes to the Court and the plaintiffs,” a Justice Department attorney wrote in the court filing. The filing acknowledged that defendants “understand that they are enjoined from using, disbursing, or transferring funds appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security to develop, create, disseminate, place, distribute, publish, or air the challenged advertisements,” and that they “shall cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements.”
Government watchdog Common Cause filed a lawsuit against the administration, alleging that it is violating federal laws that prohibit the use of government funds for political campaigns. Rochon said in her ruling that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their lawsuit on the merits of their legal challenge. The Democratic National Committee has also filed a lawsuit over the campaign-style ads.
The commercials began airing in September. There are a few versions of them, heavily featuring Trump in black and white with audio from his speeches. In the voiceovers, Trump describes a “final battle,” with the “sick political class that hates our country,” referencing political opponents. The ads are part of Trump and the Republican Party’s late-stage efforts to push voters to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Last week, Trump said that his super PAC MAGA Inc. will begin paying for the advertisements. Trump has said on numerous occasions that he controls how the super PAC spends its money and claims it has raised nearly $1 billion.