The US Department of Justice is using the recent shooting in Washington DC to push a preservation group to drop its lawsuit aimed at stopping the construction of Donald Trump’s ballroom at the White House.
Several officials from the Trump administration, including the president himself, are capitalizing on the incident during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to bolster their argument for completing the contentious $400 million project. They claim that this new ballroom is essential as a “safe space”.
On Sunday night, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, shared a letter on social media directed at lawyers representing the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), labeling their lawsuit as “frivolous”. The letter urged them to voluntarily withdraw it or face a new motion for dismissal from the Department of Justice.
“Put simply, your lawsuit puts the lives of the President, his family, and staff at grave risk,” said Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general of the justice department’s civil division in his letter.
“I hope yesterday’s narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost.”
Shumate asserted that constructing the White House ballroom was “essential for the safety of the president, his family, his cabinet, and his staff”, claiming that currently, only Washington Hilton can accommodate large gatherings and it is “demonstrably unsafe”.
The letter mirrored a claim made by Trump on his Truth Social platform on Sunday where he insisted that security agencies along with “every President for the last 150 years have been demanding that a large, safe and secure ballroom be built on the grounds of the White House.”
“It’s time to build the ballroom,” Blanche posted on X while sharing Shumate’s letter.
Trump’s quest for a new ballroom in place of where he had demolished last year’s East Wing has faced some legal challenges recently.
In March, district court judge Richard Leon in Washington DC granted an initial injunction requested by NTHP. They argued that Trump overstepped his authority by tearing down East Wing and starting work on a ballroom without necessary congressional approval.
Earlier this month, a three-judge panel from US Court of Appeals for Washington DC issued a stay on Leon’s order allowing construction to proceed as they consider ongoing litigation.
The panel clarified that their order “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion”, meaning that concerns about this entire project for an expansive 1,000-seat ballroom remains uncertain. The next hearing is tentatively set for June 5.
Shumate stated he would be available Monday to discuss ending this unnecessary and dangerous litigation with trust lawyers.
The Guardian has reached out to NTHP for comment. In response to appeals panel’s April 11 decision permitting construction restart, they confirmed plans to continue pursuing their lawsuit through their website statement.
“The National Trust remains committed to honoring historic significance of White House while advocating our collective role as stewards and showing how broad consultation with American people leads us toward better outcomes,” it mentioned.
Source link
Source link
