Federal judge blocks work on new White House ballroom
Donald Trump reacted angrily to the halting of the hall's construction by accusing the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued him, of being 'a group of left-wing extremists composed of lunatics'.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of the new $400 million Ballroom, for which the East Wing of the White House was demolished. Washington-based Judge Richard Leon granted a request by a heritage group, granting a preliminary injunction temporarily halting the new ballroom project sought by President Trump. "No law confers, even remotely, on the president the authority he claims to possess," wrote the judge, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush. "The President of the United States is the custodian of the White House for future generations of First Families. He does not, however, own it!" the judge wrote again.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had filed a lawsuit seeking an order suspending the Ballroom project until it had undergone several independent reviews and received Congressional approval. Trump proceeded with the project before even seeking the advice of two federal oversight bodies: the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, in which he had installed people loyal to him.
The president reacted angrily to the blocking of the construction of his huge party room at the White House by accusing the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has sued him, of being 'a group of left-wing extremists composed of lunatics'.
