Ro Khanna
Role at the time: U.S. representative from California
Statement summary
Khanna said the more the White House wants to put Trump on television, the happier he is, called it an ethics violation, and advised the White House to spend as much as it wants putting Trump on television.
“The more they want to put President Trump on television, the happier I am. Obviously, it's an ethics violation. But here's my advice, go spend as much money as you want putting Donald Trump on T.V.”
CNN's complete broadcast transcript records Khanna calling the ads an ethics violation while encouraging more airtime for political reasons.
Why we used this label
The conduct under scrutiny is federal payment for Trump-promoting ads. Khanna calls the taxpayer-funded ads an ethics violation, which rejects the use of public money, and says he welcomes their political effect. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it does not fit because welcoming the ads' political effect does not defend the payment.