By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — A preservationist group’s attempt to halt the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House has been rejected by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation did not provide sufficient grounds to temporarily stop President Donald Trump’s project.
Leon suggested that the group amends its lawsuit to focus on the statutory authority claimed by the President to proceed with the construction project without Congressional approval and with private funds.
The group had filed a lawsuit seeking to pause the ballroom project until it undergoes independent reviews and gains approval from Congress. The White House announced the project in the summer and by late October, the East Wing had been demolished to make way for the new ballroom, funded by private donations including those from Trump himself.
Trump moved forward with the project without consulting federal review panels, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Commission of Fine Arts, both of which he has appointed allies to.
