On April 1, a crane is visible over the construction area of President Trump’s White House ballroom. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Attorneys for the historic preservation organization that is suing President Donald Trump regarding his intentions to construct a large new ballroom at the White House informed the Justice Department yesterday that it was “wrong and reckless” for a senior official to imply that the lawsuit threatens the president’s safety.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which denied a request from the department to dismiss the case due to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, informed the department in a letter that assertions made earlier Sunday regarding the possible effects of the lawsuit were baseless.
The group highlighted that the case did not center on the need for a new ballroom but instead on whether Trump could move forward without congressional consent. A federal judge sided with the group last month and mandated a halt to construction, but an appeals court has put that ruling on hold.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate insisted the trust abandon its “foolish lawsuit that serves no real purpose,” contending that the ballroom would allow presidents to avoid traveling outside the White House for large events like the one at the Washington Hilton on Saturday.
Observers have noted that the dinner for correspondents is a private gathering and that a new ballroom would not alter this fact.
Shumate stated that if the group did not consent to terminate the litigation, the department would request a federal court to dismiss the case, although that request has not occurred yet.
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