Trump sued over East Wing demolition in new ballroom battle

by · Mail Online

The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Friday sued President Donald Trump over the destruction of the White House's East Wing, calling his ballroom project 'unlawful.' 

The suit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, argued that Trump and other top administration figures, skipped over processes that they were required to do by law when bulldozing the East Wing earlier this fall. 

The preservationists' lawsuit was filed Friday because construction on Trump's ballroom continues, but plans have yet to be submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is required by the National Capital Planning Act, the Trust argued. 

'No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever - not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,' the filing said. 'And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.'   

When a construction project goes through the NCPC, there's traditionally a period for public comment. 

The lawsuit also pointed out that no environmental review has been completed, nor has Congress approved construction, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation arguing that needed to happen because the White House is situated on federal parklands.

The lawsuit names Trump, along with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the acting heads of the General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings, and the National Park Service, among the defendants. 

'President Trump's efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the Ballroom Project should be paused until the Defendants complete the required reviews - reviews that should have taken place before the Defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the Ballroom - and secure the necessary approvals,' the filing said.    

President Donald Trump approved the demolition of the East Wing without going through the proper channels, a new lawsuit alleges from a top historic preservation group. A piece of machinery crashes through the East Wing wall in October 
Pictures from last week show the East Wing entirely gone and a large crane hovering over the White House complex as work on President Donald Trump's ballroom continues, despite no design being finalized 

The White House swiped back Friday afternoon saying that everything has been done above board. 

'President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House - just like all of his predecessors did,' spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail.

Trump and White House officials have also argued that the ballroom won't cost taxpayers a dime, as it's being constructed using private donations.  

A White House source also told the Daily Mail that the administration still planned to submit the ballroom plans to the NCPC 'at the appropriate time when they are ready.'  

Ahead of the East Wing's demolition, Trump appointed White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf to chair the NCPC. 

Scharf, a lawyer by trade, argued that NCPC doesn't oversee demolitions, only construction, which allowed the East Wing to be torn down without any government oversight.

The move riled up historic preservations and veterans of the first ladies offices, which were housed there. 

As a large crane hovers over the White House and Melania Trump complains to her husband about noise, as he recently relayed to a crowd, the blueprints for Trump's ballroom have yet to be finalized.

The White House did not reveal that the East Wing would be completely torn down when unveiling the ballroom project, but workers started tearing at the facade in October
The last remnant of the East Wing, the booksellers room where guests were announced during White House state dinners, was photographed in late October. It appears that structure has been destroyed too 
Construction crews work in the area where the East Wing once stood earlier this month. Friday's lawsuit could further delay the project after the head architect was replaced  

The Washington Post reported last week that the president had replaced the ballroom's architect James McCrery II after clashing over the size of the building, though the two men are still on good terms. 

Architect Shalom Baranes has been chosen to lead the project. 

The Architect's Newspaper reported Thursday that 29 architects who are part of the 'historic preservation community' signed onto a letter urging Baranes to ditch the project due to the White House demolishing the East Wing without public comment, among other transgressions. 

'The Trump administration has destroyed a significant portion of our country's most significant treasure by demolishing the historic East Wing of the White House,' the letter read. 

A representative for Shalom Baranes Associates did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.