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Congressman Miller has joined other House Democrats to introduce legislation that would help put a stop to the use of covert propaganda by the government. The lawmakers acted after a series of revelations over the last year that the Bush Administration has used taxpayer dollars to finance covert propaganda. In two instances, the Administration hired actors to pose as journalists in videos promoting its Medicare and drug control policies. The videos aired on television stations across the country, and viewers at home were never told that what they were seeing was paid for with their own tax dollars. More recent revelations have shown that the Administration paid one prominent media commentator $241,000 to promote the No Child Left Behind Law, and had two contracts – one for $20,000, the other for $20,000-plus – for advice on one of the Administration’s marriage initiatives at the same time that the commentator was promoting the initiative in her syndicated column.
Congressman Miller and other lawmakers have asked the Bush Administration to fully disclose its use of covert propaganda. They have also requested investigations from the Government Accountability Office and the inspectors general at different federal agencies. This page will continue to offer updates on the status of these investigations and on the status of legislation to address the problem.
Press Releases
- 2/13/2005 Press Release
Bush Administration Spent Over $1.6 Billion on Advertising and Public Relations Contracts Since 2003, GAO Finds
- 9/30/2005 Press Release
Armstrong Williams’ Work for Bush Administration was Covert Propaganda, Says Government Accountability Office
- 9/6/2005 Press Release
Department of Education Pays For Op-Eds, Ads That Promote Bush Policies, Do Not Reveal Federal Government as Funding Source; Representative Miller Calls for Recovery of Funds and for More Information in Response to Report Showing Irresponsible Use of Taxpayer Dollars, Systemic Covert Propaganda
- 5/4/2005 Press Release
House Refuses to Prevent Use of Taxpayer Dollars to Fund Covert Propaganda
- 4/15/2005 Press Release
Statement by Congressman George Miller on Inspector General Report Regarding Armstrong Williams
- 4/14/2005 Press Release
Miller Warns White House, Department of Education Not to Interfere with Inspector General’s Investigation Into Armstrong Williams Contract
- 3/16/2005 Press Release
Lawmakers Urge OMB to Rescind Instruction on Use of Propaganda; Agency Should Comply with Direction of Congressional Investigative Arm and Label Government-Produced Media
- 3/1/2005 Press Release
Senior Lawmakers Query HHS Over Possible Continued Use of Illegal Video News Releases
- 1/28/2005 Press Release
From the Democratic Leader's office: President Urged to Order Full Disclosure of Covert Propaganda
- 1/26/2005 Press Release
Use of PR Contracts More Than Doubled Under Bush, Report (pdf file) Finds; Bush Administration’s Use of Covert Propaganda Prompts Legislative Response from Democrats
- 1/26/2005 Press Release
Newspaper, Not Bush Administration, Reveals Another Contract Between Administration and Media Commentator
- 1/21/2005 Press Release
Congressman Miller joined Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and other House colleagues in sending a letter to the Social Security Administration urging it to stop the use of propaganda to push the Bush Administration’s scheme for privatizing Social Security
- 1/13/2005 Press Release
Representative Miller Response to Secretary Paige Statement on Propaganda; "The Secretary and President Bush cannot even bring themselves to admit they were wrong”
- 1/11/2005 Press Release
House Democrats Say Broad Investigation Needed to Determine Extent of Covert Propaganda by Bush Administration
- 1/7/2005 Press Release
Miller and Other Lawmakers Call for Several Investigations Into the Alarming Increased Use of Illegal Covert Propaganda by the Bush Administration
- 1/7/2005 Press Release
Representative Miller Calls For Inspector General Investigation Of Armstrong Williams Contract
Articles/Press Clippings/Miscellaneous
- Letter to Appropriations Committee Members, 5/2/2005 (pdf file)
Representative Miller and 54 other members of Congress wrote to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to urge them to prohibit the use of federal dollars to produce prepackaged video news stories. These news stories are written and produced by the government at taxpayer expense, feature actors posing as television journalists, and air on local television stations without revealing their source to viewers. The Government Accountability Office has ruled that these videos are illegal covert propaganda, but the Bush Administration has refused to follow the GAO’s ruling. It’s left to Congress to end this misleading and wasteful practice by denying funding for it.
- New York Times, 2/11/2005: Democrats Want Investigation of Reporter Using Fake Name
- Washington Post, 1/27/2005: Bush Urges End to Contracts With Commentators
- New York Times, 1/27/2005: The Best Coverage Money Can Buy
- USA Today, 1/27/2005: Report: PR spending doubled under Bush
- Miami Herald, 1/27/2005: Praise-for-pay deal;
Our Opinion: Congress Should Investigate `Covert Propaganda'
- Contra Costa Times: Pundit paid to push 'No Child' law
- San Francisco Chronicle: Leave No Ethics Behind
- Washington Post: Administration Paid Commentator; Education Department Used Williams to Promote 'No Child' Law
- New York Times: TV Host Says U.S. Paid Him to Back Policy
- Los Angeles Times: Tax-Funded White House PR Effort Questioned
- NBC News, Meet the Press (scroll down the page 2/3): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6805000/
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Cox News Service: Questions raised about White House efforts to shape news
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Associated Press: Education Department Paid Journalist
- New York Times: Bush's Drug Videos Broke Law, Accountability Office Decides
- Washington Post: Drug Control Office Faulted For Issuing Fake News Tapes
- USA Today: Education Dept. paid commentator to promote law
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