Trump barred from airing White House ‘propaganda’ ads, judge rules

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to take down a set of government-made advertisements promoting the president and his agenda, after finding fault with the use of public money to produce them. Judge Lori AliKhan's Wednesday ruling puts a hold on a $20 million campaign and comes less than a week before Election Day, according to The Independent.

The Democratic National Committee brought the case, contending that the spots amounted to a taxpayer-funded propaganda operation. It was one of several legal challenges to the ads. In a separate case, the administration had earlier been told to stop airing them. Donald Trump then said he would pay for the broadcasts personally or have a political action committee tied to him do it. The Independent reports that a super PAC connected to the president later ran the ads, though administration employees had made them, meaning public funds had in effect gone into their production.

DNC chair Ken Martin welcomed the decision, saying it protects taxpayers and the rule of law. He accused the president of trying to prop up weak approval ratings before the midterms and predicted voters would hold Trump and Republicans responsible at the ballot box.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →