The DNC alleges the ads violate the federal prohibition on government funded propaganda. The campaign received a $20 million Customs and Border Protection media contract, and AdImpact estimated that at least $10.1 million in taxpayer money had been spent by Oct. 5. Trump personally instructed budget director Russ Vought to find funding for the ads, and budget agency and White House lawyers approved the move as legal, the New York Times reported.
Trump said Oct. 5 that he would pay for future ads personally and through his super PAC, MAGA Inc., after bipartisan criticism. More than $100,000 in taxpayer funded airings of a spot about the Maduro raid followed that announcement, AdImpact estimated. The ads still carried the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The White House said Trump would not reimburse the government for earlier spending.