Lawmakers Want Indy Probe of Taxpayer-Funded TV Commercials

Democratic lawmakers asked federal watchdogs Thursday to investigate whether taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump violate restrictions on government political activity, days before the ads began airing nationally ahead of the November midterm elections.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. George Whitesides of California asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel to determine whether the spending is illegal. Democrats said earlier this week that the White House transferred $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds to air the spots, including one that closely resembles a 2024 Trump campaign advertisement.

In a letter seen by Reuters, Raskin and Whitesides called the ads “desperate pre-election propaganda” and “an illegal use of taxpayer funds,” writing that they are “virtually identical to the ones Donald Trump used during his 2024 presidential campaign, and in fact use the same footage and the same inept ideological messaging.”

Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the three nationally broadcast ads, which celebrate a “golden age of America” and are airing five weeks before the elections. Lawmakers have questioned whether public funds are being used to promote Trump politically; other critics say the spots may violate longstanding limits on government propaganda and political activity.

Trump defended the ads Wednesday. “I’m not running for office,” he said. “If somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money. But these are ads for the country … I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office.”