A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to remove three government-funded ads promoting Republican priorities and attacking Democrats from all social media platforms and federal websites, saying they appear to have been illegally produced.
The three ads are “$5,000 to Americans,” “Every Democrat Voted Against No Tax on Tips” and “Cost of Socialism.”
Judge Jennifer Rochon, a Biden appointee to the court in New York, also ordered the government to stop any third parties, including pro-Trump groups, from running the ads.
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The Trump administration objected to that part of the order, saying those outside groups — and MAGA Inc., in particular — aren’t parties to the lawsuit and the government has no control over them.
“Defendants cannot comply with this aspect of the TRO because the named Defendants cannot control MAGA, Inc.,” Assistant U.S. attorney Jeffrey Oestericher told the judge.
Common Cause, a left-leaning group that focuses on campaign finance and voting rights, had led a challenge to the ads and had previously won a ruling from Judge Rochon blocking the administration from paying to air them.
Judge Rochon said the ads were likely produced from a pot of taxpayer money that was not supposed to be spent that way.
Common Cause then came back to the judge and asked for a broader ban, including pulling the ads from websites.
“Congress did not appropriate funds to EOP to run a PR shop to help the president’s allies and attack his perceived ideological opponents,” Common Cause argued.
Justice Department lawyers had argued that Common Cause was too late in arguing to expand the judge’s restraining order, saying the YouTube argument was only raised after the initial ruling.
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