The Trump administration has claimed in a court filing that work on the president’s gaudy White House Epstein Ballroom must continue for unspecified national security reasons. But the days when they could claim national security reasons for just about anything to shut people up are probably done. Via the Daily Beast:
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn made the claim in a sworn statement responding to a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is asking a federal judge to halt President Donald Trump’s project.
Quinn argued that construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom at a projected cost of $300 million must continue so the Secret Service can carry out unspecified “safety and security requirements,” the Associated Press reported.
The 36-page court filing did not explain the nature of those concerns, though the East Wing sits above an underground bunker used by the president during emergency operations.
Quinn claimed that halting construction, even temporarily, would “consequently hamper” the Secret Service’s ability to fulfill its mission, including protecting the president.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit tasked with safeguarding historic sites, sued the Trump administration, arguing that construction of the president’s ballroom is unlawful.
The agency says the ballroom project must go through multiple independent reviews and receive approval from Congress. The group contends the project is proceeding without required approval from Congress or the National Capital Planning Commission and without an “adequate” environmental impact review.
I’d sure like to know where Trump’s contractors dumped the demolition debris, since odds are very high that it had a high asbestos content. Can’t dump that sort of thing just anywhere! Unless he used mob contractors and skipped the permits, of course.
