DOJ uses White House correspondents’ dinner shooting to pressure preservations to drop lawsuit over Trump’s $400 million ballroom

The Justice Department is leveraging the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner to pressure the National Trust for Historic Preservation to dismiss its lawsuit blocking President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom project. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted a letter on X giving the preservation group until Monday morning to drop the case, warning that the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was held, is "demonstrably unsafe" due to security challenges. The letter argues that the new White House ballroom would ensure the President's safety for decades. The preservation group sued after Trump demolished the East Wing to make way for the ballroom, which would seat 999 people. The project is funded by private donations, though public money covers bunker construction and security upgrades. Following the shooting, Trump and his allies, including Republican lawmakers, have used the incident to push for the project, arguing it would provide a safer venue for future events. The lawsuit continues, with a federal appeals court recently allowing construction to proceed pending a June 5 hearing.

(Source：Fortune)