President Trump decried the people suing to block his White House ballroom as “TREASONISTS.”
In a Friday post on Truth Social, he alleged that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the lawsuit, was “shown detailed plans and specifications” of the building and revealed “the top secret military features,” which he said exposed sensitive features of the project through its litigation.
His social media attack came soon after his administration asked the Supreme Court to block a lower court’s ruling and allow construction of the ballroom without congressional approval.
White House officials and Justice Department lawyers have defended the $400 million East Wing ballroom project by framing it as a vital, integrated security complex designed to protect the president, staff and visiting world leaders from drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.
Mr. Trump said the NTHP Preservation is “trying to stop [something] that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members.”
He added, “They were asked by the United States Military not to bring this suit because of the Top Secret nature of the important facility being built. They were shown detailed plans and specifications of this knitted, unified, and cohesive structure by Top Officers and Leaders in both the Military and Secret Service.”
In its filing Friday, the Trump administration said the alleged “threat of a missile attack against Air Force One on July 8” supports its security argument, referring to an alleged Iranian missile threat that prompted Trump to secretly switch planes while departing Turkey.
On Truth Social, Mr. Trump quoted Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Jay Clayton, director of national intelligence; and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing in favor of the White House ballroom.
