Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution for acts deemed official presidential acts thanks to the conservative Supreme Court majority.
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Trump has decided to steal $20 million in taxpayer money and use it for television ads promoting himself before the midterm election.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is a constitutional lawyer and expert, has written that the ads may be felony criminal theft:
This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes. 18 U.S.C. § 1641. It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.
The president is running the ad campaign and picking the ads himself, but he is far from alone.
The New York Times reported on who else is involved in what looks like an illegal scheme:
President Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.
….
Mr. Trump was eager to see the laudatory ads on the air and told Russell T. Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to come up with the money from within the government, the people said. Mark Paoletta, the budget office’s counsel, and Will Scharf, the White House counsel, both said it would be legal to use D.H.S. funds. The president and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, both spoke with Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, about the ads.
Trump has immunity, but those helping him do not. Trump could pardon everyone involved, but there is something that can be done before any pardons are issued.
If Democrats win back the House, they could impeach any Trump cabinet member who participated in the alleged theft of taxpayer funds. People like Russ Vought and Markwayne Mullin could be impeached.
There is also the possibility that these ads that are running in states could violate state election laws, and any state criminal charges can’t be erased with a presidential pardon.
What the Trump administration has done is both dumb and likely so overtly illegal that it could be low-hanging fruit for House Democrats, and now Democrats know who to target with their investigation.
What do you think should happen to those who assisted Trump with the illegal ads? Talk about it in the comments below.
If any state can sue an felony charges, they should do that immediately that does not have to wait any time
Make sure every single cabinet member underneath Trump is impeached over this and charged with felonies. I repeat make sure they are charged with their felony fines. It sounds like that is vote and the head of the DHS. Both of them need to be felony charge with felonies and impeached.