The Department of Justice is urging preservationists to drop their lawsuit against a proposed $400 million ballroom at the former East Wing of the White House, in the wake of Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
On Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “It’s time to build the ballroom,” on X and issued a letter to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, giving them until 9 a.m. Monday to dismiss their lawsuit.
Blanche added that the lawsuit is based on one person’s anticipated dislike of the East Wing redesign, which is argued to be insufficient grounds to delay building a secure presidential facility.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate cited “last night’s extraordinary events” as a reason for the urgency, labeling the Washington Hilton, the site of Saturday’s gala, as “demonstrably unsafe” for presidential events.
Shumate warned that if the National Trust for Historic Preservation fails to act, the government will “move to dissolve the injunction” and dismiss the “frivolous” lawsuit.
He argued that the proposed White House ballroom “will ensure the safety and security of the President for decades to come and prevent future assassination attempts.”
Elliot Carter, spokesperson of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, told Fortune that the group would review the letter with its legal counsel.
Graham, Fetterman Rally For Trump’s Ballroom
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he agrees with Trump that a White House ballroom is a national security necessity, giving the Secret Service greater control in a more secure facility.
Meanwhile, John Fetterman (D-PA.) called the Hilton Hotel unsuitable for hosting officials in the presidential line of succession, prompting a call to move past political bias and build a White House ballroom for such events.
Ballroom Row Intensifies After Incident
This pressure from the Justice Department comes after a series of events involving the proposed ballroom. After Saturday’s incident, Trump stated that the ballroom was a security necessity, suggesting that its design could have prevented the shooting incident at the Correspondents’ Dinner.
Earlier in April, Trump expressed his frustration when a federal judge blocked above-ground construction of the ballroom, arguing that the project required congressional approval.
The proposed ballroom has become a contentious issue, with the Trump administration arguing for its necessity in terms of presidential security, while preservationists and legal authorities raise concerns about the project’s approval and funding. The group filed a lawsuit against the construction of the ballroom in December after the East Wing was demolished to make way for a 999-seat massive space, which Trump says is privately funded.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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