Federal Judges Order Trump Ads Pulled, Open Golf Course Inquiry and Bar Election-Official Threats

Since Judge Jennifer Rochon issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 11 halting a run of taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Trump, the administration has drawn three more court rulings in a single day. All came Friday, Oct. 30, and all go to how the government uses its power in the final days before the Nov. 3 midterms.

The ads: three pulled, most left alone

Rochon, of the Southern District of New York, ordered the government to take down three ads: "$5,000 to Americans," "Every Democrat Voted Against No Tax on Tips," and "Cost of Socialism." The first pushes Trump's claim that every American will get $5,000 if Republicans keep Congress.

The ads must come off official government websites and social media, including YouTube and Instagram. Rochon also ordered any slots or arrangements to air them through authorized third parties, including Trump's super PAC MAGA Inc., canceled.

The plaintiffs, a coalition including the watchdog group Common Cause, asked for at least 13 ads to be pulled. Rochon ordered three, at least for now.

She also said the plaintiffs were asking to restrict the president's office in ways that were "broad and far reaching," and that she expected the government to ultimately prevail on many of the ads. She cited the Government Accountability Office's observation that a president's office is sometimes entitled to explain and defend its policies.

The case traces to the Oct. 11 restraining order. Media reports have put the administration's spending at $20 million in Department of Homeland Security funds. That order named DHS, Secretary Markwayne Mullin, OMB Director Russell Vought and chief of staff Susie Wiles as defendants. The Democratic National Committee filed a separate suit on Oct. 7.

The White House has called the spots public service announcements, similar to what past administrations of both parties produced. In a Sept. 25 statement it said the ads are "aimed at the country—not a line on the ballot." On Friday, spokesperson Lauren Bis said: "This Biden-appointed activist judge issued a lawless order to stop the administration from sharing patriotic videos."

The plaintiffs say the newer ads differ from past public service announcements because they do not help people use specific government programs. In a statement, they said there is "no legal justification—and no precedent—for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes."

The criticism has not been one-sided. Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper called the ads illegal and propaganda, and some senior Republicans have voiced reservations. The GAO found in 2015 that Obama's EPA broke federal anti-propaganda rules with a social media push for its Waters of the U.S. rule, so the problem has precedent.

On Oct. 5, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would pay for the "Patriotic Ads" himself and with money raised for MAGA Inc. The White House later told AFP the post was not referring to reimbursement.

Late Friday, government lawyers asked Rochon to carve MAGA Inc. out of the ruling. They argued the group is not a party to the case and the government has no control over it. Rochon had not ruled on that request.

The golf course: an inquiry into what DOJ told the court

In Washington, Judge Ana Reyes opened a formal inquiry into whether Trump administration officials misrepresented plans for East Potomac Park's municipal golf course. She said she would appoint a special master to look into whether officials misrepresented or withheld information.

For months, Justice Department lawyers for Interior and the National Park Service said no final plan existed. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, they acknowledged in writing a plan to turn the course into a championship-level venue, closing it and much of the park in mid-November. The closure would also address the park's crumbling seawall.

Trump has said the course will close next month for a 15-month renovation.

Reyes opened the four-hour hearing by reading D.C. Bar Rule 3.3, which bars lawyers from knowingly making or failing to correct false statements to a court. She asked Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., the department's third-ranking official, whether he wanted to correct anything. "Not to my knowledge," he said, adding that he had not read every transcript. "We have lots of binders."

Government lawyers told the court the renovation plans went to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday. Woodward said the submission had been in the works for several weeks. Reyes noted that no one mentioned that in earlier hearings, one of which ran seven hours.

Norman Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Fund, which represents those trying to stop the work, said outside court: "It's eminently clear from all of the evidence in the record... that there is a final plan."

No finding of misconduct has been made. The inquiry is meant to establish what happened. Earlier this week Reyes barred further work on the course without prior notice, and the government has appealed that order.

Election officials: a bar on threats over ballots

In California, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson issued an eight-page order Friday night. It prohibits any action that may "threaten, intimidate or coerce" state or local election officials or workers to halt processing a registered voter's ballot solely because the administration alleges the voter is ineligible.

Thompson wrote that high-ranking DOJ and DHS officials "have engaged in a campaign to intimidate, threaten, and coerce" officials administering the midterms. She wrote that the government's actions, though described as aimed at unlawful voting by noncitizens, are "likely to have the effect of interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters."

Last week the Justice Department sent letters to election officials in 57 of California's 58 counties. They directed the officials to cooperate with DOJ investigations of illegal voting or face investigations themselves. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli's Oct. 22 letter to San Bernardino County said federal law bars noncitizens from voting and asked for help to "protect the integrity of the ongoing federal election." He attached a list of "1133 likely aliens" registered there.

The order runs through Nov. 16. An appeals court ruled against the administration in a California case this week. A similar dispute over Washington state is still pending.

What comes next

Three dates now matter: Rochon has yet to decide whether MAGA Inc. is covered by her order, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the park closure is planned for mid-November while the government's appeal of Reyes's work-stoppage order is pending.