US Government Pays for TV Ad Echoing Trump's Midterm Messaging
A US government-funded TV ad featuring President Donald Trump's midterm messaging aired on conservative networks, prompting a Hatch Act complaint from Rep. Jamie Raskin.
A 30-second television advertisement that carries President Donald Trump's midterm messaging and closes with the line "paid for by the U.S. government" has drawn scrutiny after airing on conservative networks.
The spot opens with images of Trump and declares that "America will never be a communist country," while also touting the "largest tax cuts in history" — themes that align closely with the campaign messaging of Trump and other Republicans, including during the party's unusual convention in Dallas earlier this month.
According to AdImpact, which tracks media spending, the advertisement cost $14,000 and ran during conservative programming on Fox News and Newsmax. It does not tell viewers which candidates to support in the midterms.
It remains unclear which part of the federal government funded the spot. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did Fox News nor Newsmax.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who is in line to chair the House Judiciary Committee if his party wins the majority in November, said in a social media post that government employees working on such a video would violate the Hatch Act.
"It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns," Raskin wrote.