DOJ invokes recent White House shooting for ballroom construction
The Justice Department is arguing that a shooting outside the White House demonstrates why construction of the East Wing redevelopment-specifically a planned ballroom-should continue without interruption. In a Sunday court filing, the DOJ urged the judge to dissolve an injunction that currently stops the project, pointing to the recent attack after whistle-fire between the Secret Service and the suspect, who was killed and left a bystander injured.
the filing also describes the ballroom’s proposed security features, such as drone deterrence, heavily protected glass, ballistic and blast-resistant materials, missile-resistant structural elements, and other protective measures, saying detailed disclosure is necesary to maintain national security. It further claims the preservation group challenging construction lacks legal standing.
The legal fight has been ongoing: a federal judge issued the initial halt in March, and the D.C. Circuit has temporarily paused the injunction while considering the DOJ’s appeal expected next month. Meanwhile, efforts in Congress to secure funding for security upgrades tied to the ballroom have also faced resistance and stalled in the Senate.
The Justice Department is invoking the shooting outside the White House over the weekend as to why redevelopment of the East Wing, including construction of a planned ballroom, should go forward uninterrupted.
The DOJ filed a brief on Sunday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in the lawsuit filed by a preservationist group aiming to stop construction of the White House ballroom. In its brief, the DOJ specifically cited the Saturday shooting outside the executive mansion as a reason the injunction barring construction of the ballroom should be dissolved.
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“This second attack on the President this month underscores the critical need for top level, state of the art security at the White House, including the Ballroom, a knitted, unified, cohesive part of the East Wing Project, which is vital for National Security, and is being constructed to ensure that the President can perform his constitutional duties in a safe and heavily secured facility,” the filing reads.
The White House complex was locked down after an exchange of gunfire between the Secret Service and the suspect, who officials said had mental health problems and a previous incident with the Secret Service last year. The suspect was killed in the gunfight, and a bystander was injured.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a nominee of former President George W. Bush, issued an injunction in March halting construction of the ballroom. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has temporarily paused the injunction while it considers the DOJ’s appeal.
The DOJ’s filing on Sunday asking Leon to lift his injunction details the security elements which are a part of the planned ballroom, including “drone deterrence, vantage points for rooftop snipers, bullet, ballistic, and blast proof glass, impenetrable steel, missile resistant columns, Military grade venting, and other protections.”
“Indeed, the longer this frivolous litigation persists, the more our National Security will be jeopardized as the Government continues to be forced to justify—through the divulgence of such security installations, layout, and other specifications of construction—the necessity for a secure addition to the White House,” the filing reads.
The filing concluded by noting recent threats to President Donald Trump, including the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month. It also claimed that the preservation group has no standing to sue over the East Wing project. After the shooting at the WHCA dinner, the DOJ scolded the National Trust for Historic Preservation for refusing to drop its lawsuit aiming to halt construction of the ballroom.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is expected to consider the DOJ’s appeal next month, marking the latest part of the monthslong legal saga over the ballroom. On Capitol Hill, the White House has had trouble getting the Senate on board with funding security upgrades tied to the ballroom project.
The White House has unsuccessfully attempted to convince GOP senators to approve $1 billion in funding for security upgrades to the White House complex, including $220 million for security in and around the proposed ballroom, but the proposal was one of several issues that have stalled the funding bill.
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