Trump says his super PAC will start paying for controversial taxpayer-funded ads

President Trump said Monday he will start paying for the pro-Trump ads that have blanketed the airwaves in recent weeks with money raised by his super PAC, after his administration drew intense pushback for using public funds on the ads.

Emblazoned with the message "Paid for by the U.S. Government," the ads began popping up late last month on national cable and broadcast networks, including CBS, as the November midterm elections approach.

CBS News reported last month that there are multiple versions of the ads. The U.S. government produced the content and paid for the airtime through an ad agency.

The White House has defended the ads, calling them public service announcements and denying that they constitute campaign advertisements.

A White House official said last month the PSAs "are clearly not political," and noted: "The President is not on the ballot and the ads don't have a call to action."

The advertising campaign has drawn bipartisan criticism. Democrats have argued the ads could violate federal laws that bar the use of government funds for "propaganda" purposes and limit political activity by executive branch employees.

By using his own super PAC to pay for the ads, Mr. Trump is tapping a nine-figure war chest that many Republican candidates hope will be spent in battleground states ahead of the midterms — despite a late start in this election cycle.

The group had more than $400 million on hand at the end of August, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Mr. Trump said last month he is "going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us."

Supreme Court gears up for new term with major cases on climate change, guns

What Happens After Trump?: Why Tim Miller Thinks Politics Can’t Go Back

Supreme Court gears up for new term with major cases on climate change, guns