Trump sued by Democratic Party over taxpayer-funded TV advertisements

The Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully using government money to pay for advertisements lauding the president that have been airing across the US in recent weeks. The complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington alleges the ad campaign violates a congressional prohibition on using taxpayer dollars for unauthorized "publicity or propaganda purposes." President Donald Trump has faced significant blowback for the ads, mostly from Democrats and administration critics. Senate Republican Leader John Thune also weighed in, telling reporters that he approved of the message but that "it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars." "Donald Trump is misusing millions of taxpayer dollars to fund pure propaganda ads in a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November -- so we're suing him," DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. The committee argues that although Trump is not on ballots in the fast-approaching Nov. 3 midterm elections, the administration's use of public money for "campaign-style advertisements deprives the DNC of a fair electoral process." Money spent by the government leaves more funds in the accounts of GOP candidates and political action committees, the party said. When asked for comment on the lawsuit, the White House pointed to a Truth Social post by Trump earlier this week in which he described the ads as "positive promotion for our Great USA" that were being paid for "with USA money." While Trump said that's a "rather standard thing," he continued that instead, "I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc." A spokesperson for the Justice Department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Later on Wednesday, a second lawsuit challenging the ads was filed in New York by a Democratic Socialist candidate for the Alabama state legislature, a union's political advocacy arm and a government watchdog group. They contend the ads "disparage issues and positions that Trump and Republican candidates have tried time and again to tie to Democratic candidates." "So despite the White House's insistence to the contrary, common sense demands what any viewer understands: These ads are not public-service announcements -- they are personal publicity and political propaganda through and through," the complaint alleges. The DNC alleged that more ads already have been produced and are in an account controlled by the same government contractor responsible for airing the original spots. The party organization also said the initial ads continued to air days after Trump's announcement. 'Love Me' The ads running to date feature positive images and messages about Trump and his presidency, and include a disclosure that they were "Paid for by the United States Government." One ad includes a montage of photos of the president over the song "Love Me" by Christian Berishaj, who performs under the name JMSN. Berishaj notified the White House that he hadn't given permission to use the song and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump's MAGA Inc. superPAC on Tuesday demanding they cancel any plans to use it in future ads. The White House defended the TV spots as "presidential public service announcements" and pointed out that Trump is not running for office in the Nov. 3 elections and that the ads don't support any specific candidates. According to the New York Times, Trump directed Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use government funds to pay for the ads, and that the $20 million contract tapped money from the Department of Homeland Security. Congressional Democrats and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have called for investigations by government ethics offices, and liberal-leaning advocacy groups have filed complaints with regulatory agencies and sought records about the ads under a government transparency law. The Washington case is Democratic National Committee v. Trump, 26-cv-3506, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington). The New York case is Common Cause et al v. Department of Homeland Security, 26-08882, US District Court, Southern District of New York.