A federal judge has sharply questioned lawyers for the Trump administration over the president’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom, criticizing them for providing “shifting” justifications that strain credulity.
During a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon appeared skeptical of arguments by Justice Department attorneys that Trump has the legal authority to make sweeping changes to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue without congressional approval.
DOJ lawyers contended that a federal law already authorizes the president to make alterations and improvements “as the president may determine.”
But, Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said that calling the project “an alteration…takes some brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary,” according to CNN.
The judge also appeared to grow irritated when DOJ lawyers likened the ballroom plans to past construction at national parks. He dismissed the comparison as flawed, The Washington Post reported.
The White House “is a special place,” he said. “This is an iconic symbol of this nation,” adding that the 79-year-old Republican president is a “steward” of the White House, not the owner.
The case was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization that oversees the preservation of historic structures, which has said that, by unilaterally opting to demolish the East Wing, Trump has surpassed his authority. The group is asking Leon to grant an injunction to pause construction until Congress steps in.
But the DOJ has argued the project is within the president’s purview, pointing to past renovation efforts, including by President Gerald Ford.
The White House plans to begin aboveground construction on the ballroom in April and Leon has said he aims to issue his ruling by the end of March.
During Tuesday’s hearing, a senior DOJ lawyer said that an injunction, which would leave the “site dormant,” would not “benefit the public,” according to The Post. An attorney representing the National Trust for Historic Preservation responded that the administration had “forgotten the proverbial first law of holes… when you find yourself in one, stop digging.”
While he’s voiced skepticism of the Trump administration’s arguments, Leon ruled against the National Trust last month, leading it to alter its complaint.
The president has been deeply involved in planning the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which would dwarf the White House’s main building. Trump has said it’s necessary for hosting large gatherings, which currently require a tent, and that it will be funded entirely by private donations.
On February 18, Trump posted a rendering of the proposed neoclassical building, writing it “Will be the Greatest Ballroom ever built.”
Surveys indicate that most Americans are against the massive project. According to a YouGov poll conducted last month, 58 percent of respondents are opposed to destroying the East Wing to make room for a ballroom.
It’s just one of many changes Trump has made to the White House. Since taking office, he has installed towering flagpoles on the lawn, paved over the Rose Garden and adorned the Oval Office with gilded flourishes. He has also planned city golf course renovations and proposed a victory arch along the Potomac River.
