A federal judge ordered President Trump to cancel any remaining taxpayer-funded television ads promoting his political message. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon issued the temporary restraining order in New York on Sunday night, including for ads scheduled to air that night.
The Department of Homeland Security had allocated $20 million in taxpayer money to the campaign. A coalition that includes the nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause challenged the ads as an unlawful use of public funds; Rochon sided with the challengers. Her order bars the administration from entering into, renewing or expanding agreements for the ads for two weeks.
The administration said the campaign was ending. In a court filing, the Justice Department argued that an order was unnecessary because the conduct at issue would stop the next day. The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements, while Trump said he would pay for them with political fundraising after a backlash.
Please note! Comments are published by readers. The opinions expressed may not reflect the position of the editorial team. NYCT is not responsible for the content of readers' opinions and asks authors to observe moral standards, not to incite national or racial hatred, and to avoid rudeness. Think before you speak. You are responsible for your words! By publishing an opinion, you agree to the rules! If this request is ignored, NYCT reserves the right to deprive the user of the ability to leave comments.