House Democrats are launching an investigation into an ad campaign from the Trump administration on its immigration policies, saying it may have violated federal spending guidelines by promoting political aims and giving contracts to administration allies.
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight Committee are investigating new ads launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that praise Trump for his immigration policies while warning migrants not to travel to the U.S.
The Democrats note that funding came after the president requested an ad thanking him for his actions at the border, while contracts to do so went to firms with ties to the Trump campaign.
“Contrary to DHS’s stated intent of the campaign, reports indicate that, at the express direction of President Donald Trump, DHS is paying significant sums to produce and distribute materials with the intent of lauding the President’s draconian immigration policies. In doing so, DHS appears to have evaded the competitive bidding process that ensures taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, instead awarding this vanity project…to enrich Republican campaign consultants,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on Homeland Security, and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on Oversight wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The letter said the contracts were a “multiple-award indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract” allowing payments of up to $200 million over two years.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s common for DHS to run ads encouraging migrants not to come to the U.S. – the Biden administration did so in a number of languages.
But the letter suggests Trump may have had another aim in mind, referencing a speech from Noem at this year’s Conservative Political Action (CPAC) Conference in which she noted that the president requested the campaign.
“He said, ‘I want you in the ads, and I want your face in the ads … but I want the first ad, I want you to thank me, so I want you to thank me for closing the border,’” Noem said during the speech.
“And I said, ‘Yes, sir, I will thank you for closing the border.’”
The first words of the ad are “Thank you, President Donald J. Trump.”
While DHS has also said they plan to run their ads “in multiple countries and regions in various dialects,” much of the initial media buys that have been disclosed indicate a broader domestic focus.
According to Politico, the ad initially aired during “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America” with the Spanish-language version airing in markets with a sizeable share of Spanish speakers.
But according to the letter, there was also “a specific $30,000 carveout to air the ads in West Palm Beach…when the President was reportedly there.”
One of the contracts was given to People Who Think, LLC, which is owned by Jay Connaughton, who served as media adviser for Trump’s 2016 campaign and recently worked with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
Another $16 million contract was given to Safe America Media, LLC, which was incorporated by Republican consultant Mike McElwain just 11 days before the ad campaign was announced.
Neither firm immediately responded to requests for comment.
“Given the significant costs of the advertising campaign, the questionable choices made in deploying the ads, and the awardees’ relationships with President Trump, the Trump campaign, and other federal officials, the Committees seek to ensure that the contracting process was fair, ethical, and compliant with all applicable federal regulations, and that the campaign complies with all relevant prohibitions on the use of taxpayer funds for improper purposes,” the lawmakers wrote.
