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A watchdog wants federal authorities to investigate US government-funded adverts featuring Donald Trump. The White House says they are public service announcements.
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President Donald Trump has appeared in television adverts paid for by the US government, prompting questions about whether public money is being used for political promotion. Public Citizen says it is seeking investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Office of Special Counsel. [1] [3]
The group says one advert appears to breach restrictions on government-funded propaganda. It also alleges that White House staff violated the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees’ political activity. These are allegations for the authorities to assess, not a ruling that the advert is illegal. [3]
In a statement on 25 September, the White House called the adverts public service announcements rather than campaign advertising. It argued that Trump is not on the ballot and that the adverts contain no call to action. [2]
A GAO decision in a different case illustrates the importance of an advert’s purpose: the agency found that official communications about 2019 Fourth of July events did not breach propaganda restrictions because they were connected to a government function. That decision did not address the Trump adverts or the Hatch Act allegation. [6]
6 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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