Broadcasters Urged to Stop Airing Trump Taxpayer Funded Ad

Public Citizen has filed federal complaints alleging that two new taxpayer-funded television ads promoting President Trump violate laws against government propaganda and the Hatch Act, and it is urging broadcasters to pull the spots immediately.

The ads began airing over the weekend on broadcast and cable networks in two media markets that include key midterm election districts. Both carry the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. government.” Advocacy groups and legal experts say the spots appear to use public money to promote the president rather than to convey official government information.

Public Citizen asked the FCC, the FTC, and individual stations to stop carrying the ads. It also filed a second complaint with the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel, arguing the commercials misuse government resources and violate ethics rules. The group had already complained after a similar government-funded ad appeared last week.

“That the Trump administration not only failed to acknowledge and investigate last week’s illegal ad, but instead doubled down and released a second piece of taxpayer funded political propaganda during the mass-viewing moment of Sunday football is appalling and alarming,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen. “These illegal ads should immediately be pulled from the air, and the White House’s many apparent violations of the law should be investigated.”

Craig Holman, a government ethics expert at Public Citizen, said the pattern “is an affront to taxpayers and our democracy” and that oversight agencies must act if the rules are to have any force.

In a letter to broadcasters, Public Citizen warned that stations that knowingly air ads they believe are illegal still have a duty to keep a public political file and that failing to meet those obligations can put a broadcast license at risk.