Judge orders Trump to halt White House ballroom construction, escalating legal feud
A U.S. judge on Thursday rebuked the Trump administration's attempt to proceed with construction of its $400 million White House ballroom project, clarifying in a sharply worded order that any...
By Fox News · Fox News
A U.S. judge on Thursday rebuked the Trump administration's attempt to proceed with construction of its $400 million White House ballroom project, clarifying in a sharply worded order that any above-ground, physical construction of the site is blocked unless deemed strictly necessary for national security purposes. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said his order applies to all above-ground construction of the White House ballroom project, except for actions that are explicitly necessary to protect national security facilities or protecting White House personnel. Still, he made clear that the exception was not a blank check to proceed for the administration to continue the entire 90,000-square-foot project. "National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity," Leon said Thursday. He also sharply criticized the Justice Department's "brazen" interpretation of the "safety and security" exception he granted in his original order, citing their claim that the entire project is a matter of national security, Leon described that read as "incredible, if not disingenuous." APPEALS COURT LETS TRUMP RESUME WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, SEEKS LOWER COURT CLARITY Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, had issued a preliminary injunction in March blocking construction of the ballroom in March. He concluded then that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to proceed with building the sprawling White House ballroom without congressional approval, and that the administration had not shown it had clear authorization to replace parts of the East Wing with a privately funded structure. Lawyers for the Trump administration quickly kicked the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing that completing the 90,000-square-foot project on the site of the demolished East Wing is critical to the safety and security of the "president, his family, and White House staff." US APPEALS COURT HALTS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE ORDERED BY BOASBE…