▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
The U.S. Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration, arguing that the use of taxpayer money to fund political messaging advertisements is illegal.
According to the Associated Press on the 7th (local time), the Democratic National Committee (DNC) submitted a complaint to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, defining recent government-produced promotional advertisements as "illegal propaganda" and requesting an order to halt the use of government funds for them.
The DNC claimed that the administration violated current laws that prohibit the use of funds allocated by Congress for domestic publicity or propaganda purposes without separate approval.
They also pointed out violations of the Antideficiency Act, which bans the Trump administration from spending government funds without congressional appropriations, as well as related laws stipulating that tax revenues must be used exclusively for specific purposes approved by Congress.
Previously, the Trump administration sparked controversy by producing and broadcasting advertisements funded by the government that promoted President Trump and his major policy achievements.
The advertisements included content highlighting President Trump's life from his early days working in the New York real estate industry to becoming president.
Advertisements were also produced to emphasize the achievements of the war with Iran and the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The advertising costs, estimated at a minimum of $12 million (approx. 16 billion KRW), came from a budget allocated to Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security.
Reports indicated that the leadership of Customs and Border Protection was excluded from the decision-making process for executing the advertisements.
As the controversy surrounding the ads escalated, President Trump stated on the 5th that he would cover the advertising costs using funds from "MAGA Inc.," a super PAC organized for him, or his own personal wealth.
However, he added that it has not yet been decided whether the government funds already expended will be returned.
Regarding the use of tax revenue for the government promotional ads, President Trump maintained his stance that it was justified, stating, "This is quite common."
Meanwhile, the DNC argued that the Trump administration executed these tax-funded ads ahead of the midterm elections to support Republican candidates and disadvantage Democratic candidates.
Ken Martin, chair of the DNC, criticized in a statement that "President Trump is misusing taxpayer money in a last-ditch attempt to rescue Republicans in the midterm elections."
Common Cause, a government watchdog group, also filed a separate lawsuit regarding the Trump administration's government promotion ads based on similar legal grounds.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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