Topline
President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared court filings by his administration urging a federal judge to lift an order blocking the White House ballroom’s construction, describing it as a facility that would “protect” the president after Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Construction cranes are seen, from the Washington Monument, on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, where the ballroom is planned.
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Key Facts
In a filing made before the D.C. federal court, the Justice Department urged Judge Richard J. Leon to rescind an order blocking the construction of the ballroom, arguing Saturday’s “attempted assassination…could have never taken place in the new facility.”
The filing accuses the plaintiffs, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” an insult the president uses to dismiss criticism of himself and his actions.
The Trump administration argued presidents need a secure space for large events that currently does not exist, and halting the ballroom would impact the safety of “Trump, future Presidents, and their families.”
The DOJ also notes that it had reached out to the plaintiff to drop its case against the ballroom after Saturday’s shooting, but the group refused the request.
This is a developing story.