Trump admin fights in court to keep White House East Wing demolition, $300M ballroom build on track
Lawyers for the Trump administration and a historic preservation group are slated to appear in court Tuesday afternoon in a bid to halt — at least temporarily — President Donald...
By Fox News · Fox News
Lawyers for the Trump administration and a historic preservation group are slated to appear in court Tuesday afternoon in a bid to halt — at least temporarily — President Donald Trump 's plan to continue building out a $300 million White House ballroom on the site of the now-demolished East Wing. "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else," the National Trust said in its lawsuit, filed late last week with U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. The group argued that Trump's project has already caused "irreversible damage" t o the White House, and asked Leon to grant both a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from commencing or continuing further work on the ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the plans. The suit alleges violations of multiple statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and says the ballroom cannot move forward without authorization from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump fired all six members of the CFA in October; the panel remains vacant. US APPEALS COURT HALTS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE ORDERED BY BOASBERG, FOR NOW Meanwhile, lawyers for the Justice Department argued in a separate filing on Monday that Trump does have the statutory authority to modify the structure as president. "The President possesses statutory authority to modify the structure of his residence, and that authority is supported by background principles of Executive power," the Justice Department told the court on Monday in a separate filing. They cited Trump's personal involvement in the project, and noted that he has regularly taken part in meetings and discussions "regarding design and footprint and personally selecting the architect for the project," among oth…