‘Shockingly Corrupt’ PSAs
House and Senate Democratic appropriators are unleashing on the Trump administration and confirming reports that the Trump White House moved taxpayer money out of Customs and Border Patrol to fund midterms advertisements running on major broadcast airwaves that promote President Trump.
While the White House is trying to describe the ads as “public service announcements” similar to what previous administrations have run about COVID-19 or Obamacare, at least one of the ads appears to be a literal rerun from Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Congress’ top Democratic appropriators demanded answers from the Department of Homeland Security and threatened investigations Tuesday as more details of the egregious shuffling of taxpayer dollars surfaced. The move appears to be, at best, a major violation of the Hatch Act (a 1930s-era federal law that places limits on the political activities of federal executive branch employees — and a law that Trump officials ignored throughout his first term in the White House).
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration used congressionally appropriated federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security to bankroll the recent spate of pro-Trump ads that have appeared on Fox, Newsmax, MS NOW, and CBS — some of which even aired during at least two NFL games on Sunday. Specifically, the money was moved from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ. Both the WSJ and CNN have reported that Trump personally pushed for the ads and was involved in their creation.
While the White House refers to the ads as PSAs — “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 White House told the WSJ — each has run with the alarming disclaimer: “paid for by the U.S. government.”
The ads all have the brand of Trumpian flair that landed former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in hot water. One features Trump talking while images of Mount Rushmore flash on the screen: “the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history,” Trump says. Another is eerily similar to an ad that Trump’s campaign aired in 2024. Per the Associated Press:
The latest of the ads, a spot first aired over the weekend, is virtually identical to an ad for Trump’s Republican reelection campaign in 2024. It shows him walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.”
A third includes a bunch of photos of Trump at various White House events. “America will never be a communist country,” he declares. It’s in line with one of the only talking points he and other Republicans have been able to come up with to campaign on this fall, as they fear-monger about a communist takeover of America because a handful of Democratic socialist candidates won primaries in New York City, Michigan and Colorado.
Dems to Mullin: This Is ‘Illegal Propaganda’
A few Republicans have mildly criticized the White House over what appears to be a blatant misuse of taxpayer funds.
“It’s a great message. I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters earlier this week.
Democrats are, however, aggressively sounding the alarm about the matter, arguing it is not just the usual Trump corruption but likely “illegal propaganda.” Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), the top Dem appropriators in the Senate, wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin today, saying the $20 million that was shifted to pay for the ads used taxpayer dollars allocated for CBP from Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” last year. They said the money was intended for “for commemorative events relating to border security.” They demanded the ads be taken off air and sent Mullin a list of questions about the arrangement.
“We should not have to remind you that using government funding to create or air political ads like the ones that have been running over the last few days is illegal and a shockingly corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars,” they wrote.
“The American people deserve answers about how this president is literally stealing their tax dollars to air campaign ads celebrating himself—while doing nothing to help them afford health care or housing,” they continued. “These ads need to immediately come off the air, taxpayers need to be paid back for this theft, and everyone responsible needs to be held accountable for this corrupt and illegal propaganda.”
Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX), both on the House Appropriations Committee, vowed investigations into the ordeal should Democrats retake the House. They also appeared to confirm the WSJ reporting, saying in a statement that White House OMB Director Russ Vought was behind the rearranging:
“After gutting $1 trillion from Medicaid, stripping health care coverage from millions of Americans, giving the very richest Americans and large corporations massive tax breaks, adding more than $4 trillion to the deficit, and more than quadrupling funding for mass deportations, it turns out the Trump administration used Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill to pay for President Trump’s political ads.
“When Democrats reclaim control of Congress next year, the House Appropriations Committee will work to uncover and reverse misuses of taxpayer money like this and hold those who abused their power accountable.”
This comes after Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought moved $20 million in resources to the Department of Homeland Security for this purpose on September 19.
Trump Vanity Project No. 867
After depriving the Republican Party of anything to campaign on this year, Trump has determinedly made the midterms about himself — something that even Republicans do not want him to do. Trump repeatedly torpedoed any chance Republicans had at moving legislation this summer that they could’ve hyped on the campaign trail by insisting that everything be dropped for the sake of (or unless it was tied to) the SAVE Act, which had no chance of passing the Senate and would disenfranchise millions.
That’s why the Republican Party’s midterms convention was little more than a pro-Trump festival that few vulnerable Republican candidates were interested in attending. But Trump is clearly not convinced of his political toxicity. As I mentioned above, he’s been the one driving the creation of the ads. Per CNN:
President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, taxpayer-funded video ads promoting himself and his administration’s policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Two Trump advisers familiar with the ads said that they were being created in-house by the White House video team — which is part of the communications team, responsible for the administration’s public messaging.
Read This From TPM Today
“TPM has found fairly definitive evidence proving Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) misread text messages when he attempted to corner former special counsel Jack Smith during a congressional hearing on Tuesday,” writes TPM’s Hunter Walker, looking into Schmitt’s embarrassing attempt to raise unfounded conspiracy theories about Smith meeting with Fani Willis in February 2024. More here: New Evidence Shows Just How Badly One Republican Senator Beclowned Himself in the Jack Smith Hearing
Yesterday’s Top Story
Judge Finds Trump Admin in Contempt of Court Again for Wrongful Deportation
What I’m Reading
Kristi Noem files for divorce from Bryon Noem
It is perfectly legal to sell cannabis and liquor in the state of Washington. It is illegal to sell these things to children. This crime is enforced not by putting children in jail, but with fines, some of them existential, to the seller.
It is perfectly legal to advertise on national TV. It is illegal for the US government to sponsor campaign advertising. We should be holding the buyer responsible, but more importantly we should really be holding the seller responsible.
What crimes will Trump commit next?
One features Trump talking while images of Mount Rushmore flash on the screen: “the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history,” Trump says.
OK, so you’ve made America great again. Now get the fuck out, don’t let the door hit you in the ass, and take your family and friends with you.
Administration Response: “Yeah? So, what?!?”
Dems will hold hearings and will rage and holler, signifying nothing.
How do we make these criminals pay?!? *&^%$#@!
Is it too late to have him pilloried for covid?