Carol Quillen, #NationalTrust’s CEO said she did not have a “hard objection” to a #WhiteHouse #ballroom — so long as its size, materials & design were consistent with the White House & did not overshadow the main building. It is the National Trust’s job, she said, to preserve #Americanhistory, particularly at the White House, given the building’s iconic status & central role. She noted that the org has also brought legal challenges to past admins’ construction projects.

#Trump #law #EastWing

…The #WhiteHouse also has defended the project by drawing a distinction between construction on the grounds, which admin officials say is covered by federal review panels, & demolition & site prep, which they maintain is not.

However, the #NationalTrust says that this is a distinction without a difference. Recent photos have shown that heavy construction machinery & teams of people are working regularly on the site, & #Trump has said that pile drivers are operating “all day, all night.”

#law

#WhiteHouse officials have previously dismissed criticism from the #NationalTrust, [in their typical manner] arguing that its leaders are “loser Democrats & liberal donors” who oppose #Trump on political grounds 🙄. However , the National Trust has a decades-long association with Trump: In 1995, he donated easements to the org to make his #MarALago resort in Florida a historic property in exchange for #TaxBreaks.

#FactCheck #TrumpLies #law #EastWing #ballroom #HistoricLandmark #USHistory

…The #NationalTrust …alleges that the #Trump admin violated the #Constitution’s property clause, which authorizes #Congress to oversee property on #FederalLand.

The National Trust’s lawsuit names Trump & other admin officials, including at the National Park Service [#NPS] & the General Services Administration [#GSA], as defendants.

#law #WhiteHouse #EastWing #ballroom #HistoricLandmark #USHistory #conservation

The lawsuit from the nonprofit #NationalTrust for #HistoricPreservation, which was filed Friday in the US District Court for DC, represents the first major legal challenge to Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot addition & is poised to test the limits of his #power. The organization argues that the admin failed to undergo legally required reviews or receive congressional authorization for the project, which #Trump has rushed to launch in hopes of completing it before his term ends in 2029.

#law

Just a bit too freaking late!

Maybe they could have done this BEFORE he demolished the entire #EastWing of the #WhiteHouse?!?!

#NationalTrust sues to stop #Trump #ballroom construction

The organization, which is charged by #Congress with #HistoricPreservation, has retained President Barack Obama’s former lawyer as it seeks to pause the project.

#law #HistoricLandmark #USHistory #conservation
washingtonpost.com/politics/20…