DOJ apologizes after campaign-style Trump ads air in violation of judge’s order

The Department of Justice (DOJ) apologized late Monday for a controversial ad featuring President Trump that continued to run after a court sided with government watchdog groups in temporarily blocking the ads.

Common Cause and a coalition of other groups, including a candidate for an Alabama state House seat, sued over the ads, arguing the Trump administration broke the law in using federal funds for an ad that amounts to a campaign expenditure.

The plaintiffs won a temporary restraining order in the case late Sunday, but they complained to the court that the ad was not yet off the airwaves by Monday.

“The undersigned apologizes to the Court and the plaintiffs,” a Justice Department attorney wrote in an update to the court.

The attorney said some federal workers did not see the judge’s order until the holiday Monday, leading to a delay in canceling the already purchased ad time.

“Defendants understand that they are enjoined from using, disbursing, or transferring funds appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security to develop, create, disseminate, place, distribute, publish, or air the challenged advertisements; Defendants understand that they shall cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements,” the attorney wrote.

The Democratic National Committee has also sued over the ads, which show numerous images of the president overlaid with quotes from recent speeches demeaning communism while also crediting himself for the largest tax cuts in history.

Trump has faced mounting criticism over the ads, one of which features the song “Love Me” by artist JMSN, who said the song was used without his permission .