conv.

All stories
PoliticsActive · 37h

DOJ apologizes after Trump taxpayer ads air 400 times despite court order

A federal judge blocked government-funded campaign ads; nearly 400 spots aired anyway before compliance.

newest coverage 8h agosummary written 13h ago10 pieces NewswiresGoogle NewsReddit

What to know

  • Judge Jennifer L. Rochon issued a temporary restraining order Sunday blocking a $20 million Trump administration campaign using taxpayer funds to promote the president's policies, after Common Cause and other watchdog groups sued.
  • Nearly 400 ad spots aired after the order took effect, running on CBS, ABC, and other networks Sunday night and continuing Monday, before the DOJ acknowledged the violation.
  • The DOJ apologized and said it was unaware an earlier notification to its advertising vendor had been sent; the department pledged immediate compliance and cancellation of remaining placements.
  • The central legal dispute is whether government can use taxpayer money for ads promoting a sitting president's agenda—plaintiffs say it violates federal law; Trump argued previous administrations did similar campaigns.

“pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda”

Plaintiffs, Common Cause and coalition · Statement ↗ · Oct 12

Donald TrumpDonald Trump PresidentCommon Cause Government watchdog groupJudge Jennifer L. Rochon U.S. District JudgeDepartment of Justice Executive agency

DOJ apologizes after Trump taxpayer ads air 400 times despite court order
Washington Examiner

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 3 pieces in one hour at Yesterday, 11 AM; 10 pieces over 38 hours (9 articles · 1 post) Oct 12, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 12, 12 PM — quietOct 12, 1 PM — quietOct 12, 2 PM — quietOct 12, 3 PM — quietOct 12, 4 PM — quietOct 12, 5 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Oct 12, 6 PM — quietOct 12, 7 PM — quietOct 12, 8 PM — quietOct 12, 9 PM — quietOct 12, 10 PM — quietOct 12, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 11 AM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Yesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Yesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quiet 123
4 PMyesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 1:49 AM ET
  1. 3

    Plaintiffs welcome order but seek status conference

    Common Cause and coalition partners welcome the injunction and say they are "pleased the court acted swiftly." In a court filing, plaintiffs note they are not seeking contempt sanctions but want a status conference to ensure compliance.

    “There is no legal justification — and no precedent — for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda…”
    — Plaintiffs (Democracy Forward)
  2. 2

    DOJ apologizes and pledges compliance

    The Department of Justice apologizes to the court and plaintiffs, saying it was unaware of an earlier email from agency counsel. DOJ lawyers tell Judge Rochon they will cancel all remaining ad placements.

    “Defendants understand that they shall cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements…”
    — DOJ lawyer
  3. 1

    Nearly 400 ad spots air after court order takes effect

    Despite the judge's order, ads continue running on multiple networks. "Final Battle" airs 193 times on CBS's 60 Minutes and 198 times on ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos. Ads also air on ABC World News Tonight. Nearly 400 total spots run Sunday night; ads continue airing Monday.

  4. background

    Federal judge issues temporary restraining order halting ads — Judge Jennifer L. Rochon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issues an order at 6:46 pm ET Sunday directing the Trump administration to immediately halt airing the ads and barring the use of DHS funds for the campaign. The order covers all ads scheduled to air that evening.

  5. background

    Watchdog groups and Democratic National Committee sue to block ads — Common Cause and a coalition of government watchdog groups file suit, arguing the ads are "overtly political" propaganda and violate federal law by using taxpayer funds. The DNC files a separate lawsuit challenging the ads as campaign finance violations.

  6. background

    Trump defends ads on Truth Social — Trump responds to criticism by announcing he will pay for the ads through MAGA Inc., his super PAC, and claims previous administrations used government-funded advertising campaigns.

  7. background

    Trump announces $20M taxpayer-funded ad campaign — The Trump administration begins running ads on Fox News and other networks promoting the president's agenda, funded through a Department of Homeland Security budget line for "commemorative events." The ads feature Trump railing against "communism, socialism, and Marxism" and the "fake news media."

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 4 outlets DOJ ‘apologizes’ for running Trump's taxpayer ads hundreds of times despite court order yanking them from airwaves

    first by The Independent, 13h ago · also Washington Examiner, The Hill, Independent UK

    2 more headlines

and 1 smaller piece