Is it a crime? Lawmakers from both parties question Trump’s taxpayer-funded ads
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesThe White House’s decision to run taxpayer-funded ads with stylish images of President Trump and campaign-style rhetoric is sparking bipartisan alarm and calls for legislative fixes or punishment under campaign finance laws.
One ad, lasting nearly a minute, features images of Mount Rushmore and footage of Mr. Trump speaking to large crowds.
“This is only the beginning of the golden age of America,” Mr. Trump says in the ad narration.
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The content is typical Trump fare. But the message at the end is turning heads: “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
Another such ad shows Mr. Trump in black-and-white and flips through photos of fighter jets and Mr. Trump touring the country.
“America will never be a communist country,” Mr. Trump says in the ad.
A voice praises Mr. Trump as “the toughest, most resilient person I ever met.”
The ads are running during the midterm election season, and they tout GOP talking points such as tax cuts, but focus squarely on Mr. Trump and tap into general U.S. funds. One of the ads cost more than $300,000 alone, according to AdImpact, which tracks advertising spending.
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Some Democrats say the ads are overtly political, so use of taxpayer money could be a crime.
“This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, said. “It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.”
He pointed to a federal statute that says it is a crime for someone to embezzle, steal or purloin “any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof.”
Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Democrat, wrote a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles requesting a detailed account of how much money was spent on the ads.
“The advertisement raises deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s use of taxpayer dollars and its compliance with federal laws that prohibit the use of appropriated funds for the promotion of a political party or candidate,” Ms. Hassan wrote.
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The White House defended the ads as public service announcements akin to media spots from past presidents, including George W. Bush ads about Medicare and youth drug use, Barack Obama’s ads about the Waters of the United States rule and Joseph R. Biden’s ads promoting COVID-19 vaccination.
An official said the ads are not political and do not have a call to action.
“These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad,” the official said. “The ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic. We should be proud of our country.”
Richard Painter, who served as the chief ethics attorney for President George W. Bush, said on X that the television spot is overtly political, “and it is ILLEGAL for the White House to pay for it with taxpayer funds.”
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Sen. John N. Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, said no public official should spend money on private ads for themselves.
“I think there ought to be a rule — where there probably is a rule — you can’t spend public money to promote yourself,” Mr. Kennedy told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I may end up with a sombrero on my head, but I also think that we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him while he’s alive. I think that would settle a lot of this controversy.”
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost his primary in Kentucky this year after running afoul of Mr. Trump, said the administration was guilty of behavior typically seen in unstable countries.
“Don’t worry, using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal… in banana republics,” he wrote on X.
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