National Trust moves forward with $400 M lawsuit against Trump’s ballroom following DOJ request

(SeaPRwire) –   Preservation groups are moving forward with their lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom project, turning down a request from the Department of Justice to withdraw the complaint following the shooting at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Trump and other conservatives have renewed their push for the ballroom in the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting at the media dinner, arguing the incident exposed challenges to guaranteeing presidential security for large events held off White House grounds, and they are urging the National Trust for Historic Preservation to drop its lawsuit.

Top Justice Department officials stated that the government would ask a court to dismiss the lawsuit “in light of last night’s extraordinary events” if the Trust did not voluntarily drop the case itself.

Gregory Craig, an attorney for the Trust, rejected the request, writing to the Justice Department that the core legal issues at the center of the lawsuit remain unchanged.

“What Saturday’s awful event does not change is the fact that the Constitution and multiple federal laws require Congress to authorize construction of a ballroom on White House grounds, and Congress has not issued that authorization,” Craig wrote.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The preservation group filed its lawsuit in December, one week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing to make space for the ballroom that Trump says can accommodate 999 people. Trump claims the project is paid for by private donations, though public funds are covering the cost of an underground bunker and security upgrades to the site.

In its lawsuit, the Trust argues that Trump overstepped his executive authority by moving forward with the project without first gaining approval from key federal agencies and Congress.

A federal appeals court has ruled that Trump can continue work on the project, issuing its decision one day after a lower court judge upheld the block on above-ground construction at the site and scheduled a June 5 hearing to review the case.