Former White House lawyer calls Trump ads possible grounds for impeachment — The Hill
In the United States, former White House chief ethics lawyer Richard Painter said that funding television advertisements promoting President Donald Trump with taxpayers’ money could be grounds for impeachment. The Hill reported this, citing Painter’s post on the social media platform X.
Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer during the second term of George W. Bush’s presidency, said that the president has no right to spend taxpayers’ money on campaign advertising. He also noted that Congress has explicitly banned government-funded political propaganda.
Videos marked as paid for by the U.S. government
Several television channels have in recent days aired videos promoting Trump ahead of the midterm congressional elections. Both videos contain the label “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
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In one video, Trump speaks about his intention to defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in the United States. At the end, a recording is heard featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, who calls the president the toughest and most resilient person he has ever met. Another video contains excerpts from Trump’s speech during the 2024 presidential campaign, in which he promises to destroy the “deep state” and drive “warmongers” out of government.
Criticism and the White House position
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said that such use of taxpayers’ money should outrage every taxpayer regardless of party affiliation. Republican Senator John Kennedy said that funding advertisements promoting the president with public funds is “probably” illegal. He added that no official should spend public money on private advertising for themselves.
The White House rejected the criticism, saying that the videos are not campaign advertisements because Trump is not running in the November elections. At the same time, the president urged voters to act as if his name were on the ballot. The administration also cited examples of information campaigns by previous governments regarding Medicare legislation and enrollment in the Affordable Care Act health insurance system.
