Trump: 'National Security Reasons' Require Ballroom Construction
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.