A nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to help preserve historic landmarks has filed a lawsuit against the White House seeking to halt construction of a new ballroom for President Donald Trump, BBC News reports.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit on Friday, alleging that the White House failed to conduct adequate review before demolishing the historic East Wing in October.
“No president has the legal authority to demolish portions of the White House without consultation—not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, not anyone else,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit marks the first major legal challenge to the ballroom project. The group is asking a federal court in Washington to halt construction of the addition until the White House “complies with the law by completing statutory review processes,” including a public comment period, the group said in a statement.
The organization claimed it was “forced” to file the lawsuit after the White House ignored concerns it raised in October.
In its lawsuit, it alleges that the White House violated the law by beginning construction without submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, conducting an environmental assessment, or obtaining congressional approval.
It also claims that Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution, “which vests in Congress the power to make and enforce all rules and regulations concerning United States property.”
In a statement released Friday, the White House responded to the lawsuit by declaring that “President Trump has every lawful authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House, as all his predecessors have done.”
The East Wing was demolished in October to make way for a multimillion-dollar ballroom, which Trump claims was paid for by private donors. Since then, the proposed project has expanded from a 500-seat ballroom to a space capable of accommodating 1,350 guests.