The US Department of Justice has leveraged the weekend shooting in Washington DC to pressure a preservation group into dropping a lawsuit that seeks to halt the construction of Donald Trump's White House ballroom.
Trump Officials Seize on Incident
Several Trump administration officials, including the president, have used the incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner to advance their case for completing the controversial $400 million project. The White House's East Wing was suddenly demolished to make way for the new ballroom, which officials argue is needed as a "safe space."
On Sunday night, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on social media a letter to lawyers representing the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), calling the trust's lawsuit "frivolous." The letter demanded that the organization voluntarily withdraw the lawsuit or face a new dismissal motion from the Department of Justice.
"Put simply, your lawsuit puts the lives of the President, his family, and staff at grave risk," the letter, signed by Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general of the justice department's civil division, stated. "I hope yesterday's narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost."
Safety Concerns Cited
Shumate argued that the White House ballroom was "essential for the safety of the president, his family, his cabinet, and his staff." He claimed that the Washington Hilton, where Saturday's shooting occurred, is currently the only ballroom in the capital large enough to host such gatherings and is "demonstrably unsafe."
The letter echoed a claim posted by Trump on his Truth Social network on Sunday, in which the president insisted that security agencies and "every President for the last 150 years have been demanding that a large, safe, and secure ballroom be built on the grounds of the White House."
"It's time to build the ballroom," Blanche wrote on X in his repost of Shumate's letter.
Legal Battle Continues
Trump's pursuit of the new ballroom on the site of the former East Wing, which he demolished last year, has faced legal hurdles. In March, District Court Judge Richard Leon in Washington DC granted a preliminary injunction requested by the non-profit trust, which alleged that Trump exceeded his authority by razing the East Wing and beginning construction without required congressional approval.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for Washington DC granted a stay of Leon's order earlier this month, allowing construction to continue while the lawsuit proceeds. The panel noted that its order "should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion," meaning the future of the entire project—a 1,000-seat ballroom on a footprint larger than the White House itself—remains uncertain. The next hearing in the case is tentatively scheduled for 5 June.
Shumate's letter indicated that he would be available to the trust's lawyers on Monday "to discuss ending this unnecessary and dangerous litigation."
Preservation Group's Response
The Guardian has contacted the NTHP for comment. In a statement on its website following the appeals panel's 11 April order allowing construction to resume, the trust said it planned to pursue its lawsuit. "The National Trust remains committed to honoring the historic significance of the White House, advocating for our collective role as stewards, and demonstrating how broad consultation, including with the American people, results in a better overall outcome," it stated.
