Two lawsuits challenge Trump's taxpayer-funded ads, alleging they violate propaganda law

Reported by ABC News. The paragraphs below are the opening of that article, reproduced word for word — not a summary, and not the whole piece.

Two new lawsuits are challenging President Donald Trump's recent spate of federally funded television advertisements

WASHINGTON -- Two lawsuits filed Wednesday challenged President Donald Trump's recent series of federally funded television advertisements , which promote his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

The Democratic National Committee was first to sue the Republican administration, alleging the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accusing Trump of personally directing them. Later Wednesday, a coalition including the nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause filed a separate lawsuit, also alleging an illegal misuse of funds.

Both complaints asked federal judges to stop the use of federal funds to pay for the ads. The lawsuits represented the first legal challenges to the TV spots, which have faced bipartisan backlash for glorifying Trump and promoting his campaign message with November's midterm elections less than a month away.

The ads, which began airing in September, already have cost more than $12 million to run, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. The Department of Homeland Security awarded a $20 million contract for the campaign.

Responding Monday to the criticism, Trump defended them as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but said he’d start paying for them using his MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward.