The plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project on Monday rejected a demand by the Department of Justice to drop that legal challenge in the wake of a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that Trump was evacuated from.
“Your assertion that this lawsuit puts the President’s life at ‘grave risk’ is incorrect and irresponsible,” wrote Gregory Craig, a lawyer for the plaintiff, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, to DOJ Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate.
“Simply put, this case does not jeopardize the President’s safety in any way,” Craig wrote in the new letter, which he provided to CNBC.
“And nothing prevents you from asking Congress at any time for the necessary authorization required by the Constitution and federal law.”
Craig’s response came after two days of renewed calls by Trump, Republican lawmakers and supporters of the president for the suit to be rejected by a federal court, and for the way to be cleared for the ballroom to be built.
