It is illegal under federal law to use public funds for “propaganda purposes.” If Donald Trump and his team are aware of this, they apparently don’t care.

With time running out in the midterm election cycle, the president and his White House have unveiled three propagandistic campaign ads, all of which have already aired and all of which are being financed entirely by American taxpayers. The third in the series is the most brazen: It simply recycles one of Trump’s 2024 campaign ads and includes “Paid for by the U.S. government” at the end.

To date, the price tag for these campaign ads is nearing at least $1.5 million.

By way of a defense, White House communications director Steven Cheung argued via social media, “Don’t let the Fake News get away with their lies about our epic Public Service Announcements that have been running on tv.”

The suggestion that these campaign ads are public service announcements is ridiculous to the point of being insulting, but no less notable is the fact that it’s not only journalists who have noted Team Trump’s legally dubious abuse. Ethics lawyers, for example, have used labels such as “impeachable offense,” while congressional Democrats have made references to crimes such as “felony criminal theft.”

Just as significant is the number of congressional Republicans who have been pressed on the burgeoning scandal and who have shown no interest in even trying to defend the White House’s misconduct.

GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana helped get the ball rolling on Sunday, conceding that no one in public office “should spend public money on private ads for themselves.” He wasn’t alone. Politico reported:

Senate Majority Leader John Thune took issue Monday with a new ad campaign featuring President Donald Trump that is being underwritten with federal funds.

“It’s a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” the top Senate Republican told reporters.

Asked if using public funds for the ads was appropriate, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said, “No, it’s not even a close question.” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina added, of the White House’s taxpayer-financed propaganda, “I hate it. I tell you, it feels like Viktor Orbán talking to the Hungarian people. There’s no place for that sort of thing. Look, you want to run that ad? We got plenty of resources.”

Grading on a generous curve, it’s reassuring to see a few GOP officials willing to say, out loud and on the record, that they’re uncomfortable with the White House ignoring federal law and sticking taxpayers with a bill for pro-Trump campaign ads.

Republicans didn’t need the president to impose yet another distraction on the party five weeks before Election Day, but he did it anyway, which is probably unwelcome news for GOP officials worried about the looming results.

But I also find myself stuck on the near future. If there’s reason to believe Trump and his operation are using your money to finance campaign ads, in violation of federal law, what happens now?

Will Congress attempt to force the White House to reimburse the public? Will prosecutors review the evidence and determine whether (and how many) lines were crossed? If there’s a Democratic majority on Capitol Hill next year, will there be hearings? Will White House officials start up the shredders now to eliminate the paper trail? Watch this space.

The post Even some Republicans aren’t on board with Trump’s taxpayer-financed election propaganda appeared first on MS NOW.

Author: Source Author

From MS Now.