CBS stations aired a second U.S.-government-funded ad praising President Donald Trump on Thursday. It featured the military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, drawing accusations of propaganda and questions about taxpayer spending.
The White House denied the ad was political, calling it an educational public-service announcement about patriotism. Sen. Maggie Hassan and Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees questioned the spending. Hassan told White House chief of staff Susie Wiles that the ad lacked a clear official purpose and appeared to violate restrictions on using appropriated funds for political propaganda.
An earlier anti-communist ad aired on Fox News; titled “America Will Never Be a Communist Country,” it used JMSN’s song “Love Me,” which the musician said the administration used without permission. CBS’s decision came amid scrutiny of its direction since Paramount merged with Skydance and took over the company last year. Some departing journalists accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of undermining the network’s journalistic integrity; she has also been accused of interfering in reporting to advance a conservative agenda.
