Federal Court Orders US President's Administration to Halt Publicly Funded Ads

New York, October 12 (KUNA) -- A federal court in New York ordered the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to halt the broadcast of television advertisements funded by taxpayer money, following a lawsuit accusing the administration of using public funds for political campaigning ahead of the U.S. congressional midterm elections scheduled for November.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday evening that U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon issued a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring the administration to cancel the remaining advertisements, noting that the Department of Homeland Security had allocated $20 million for the ad campaign.

The report added that the watchdog organization Common Cause was among the coalition that filed the lawsuit, which deemed the ad campaign an illegal use of federal funds. The White House defended the ads as “public service announcements aimed at informing the public about the administration’s policies.”

The agency noted that the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the restraining order was unnecessary because the campaign was scheduled to end on Sunday.

The ruling comes weeks before the U.S. congressional midterm elections on November 3, amid objections from plaintiffs over the use of government funds for political advertising. According to the agency, the restraining order is a temporary measure and does not constitute a final judgment on the legality of the ad campaign. (End) E.S.T./T.M.A.