The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration Wednesday, seeking to block its use of taxpayer money for ads promoting the president ahead of the midterms.
The DNC argued the ads violate Congress’s ban on using government money for “publicity and propaganda” and prohibitions against spending money not authorized by Congress. The Democrats said the ads harm them by violating campaign spending rules and making it harder for their candidates to compete.
“Donald Trump is misusing millions of taxpayer dollars to fund pure propaganda ads in a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said. “Americans deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes.”
Trump said Monday that his super PAC would cover the ads going forward but did not commit to reimbursing the government for the ads already airing with a government-funded disclosure.
The DNC cited The Washington Post’s reporting that the administration paid for the ads using money designated for Customs and Border Protection purposes such as memorials for officers killed in the line of duty.
Catch up quickly every weekday morning with a rundown of the 7 most important and interesting stories. Sign up for The 7 newsletter.
The post Democratic National Committee sues to stop taxpayer-funded Trump ads appeared first on Washington Post.
