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LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts) Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:26 PM Apr 26

Justice Department Calls to Drop Ballroom Suit After Gala Attack

I am shocked that a DOJ lawyer would put their signature on this letter

Link to tweet

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/justice-department-calls-to-drop-ballroom-suit-after-gala-attack

A top Justice Department official demanded that a historic preservationalist group drop its challenge to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, following an attempted attack Saturday at a Washington gala the president attended.

Brett Shumate, who leads the Justice Department’s civil division, gave an attorney for the National Trust for Historic Preservation until 9 a.m. Monday for his client to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit challenging construction of a 90,00-square foot ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing.

“Put simply, your lawsuit puts the lives of the President, his family, and his staff at grave risk,” Shumate wrote in the letter. “I hope yesterday’s narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost.”

The letter, addressed to Gregory Craig of Foley Hoag, was posted on X on Sunday by acting attorney general Todd Blanche, the day after an armed suspect attempted to enter a Washington hotel ballroom during the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner. Trump attended the dinner for the first time as president, alongside other top administration officials, and was expected to deliver a speech.....

However, such an event wouldn’t likely be held at the White House, as the dinner is hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a private organization, and not by the president.

10 replies

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Highlight:

Justice Department Calls to Drop Ballroom Suit After Gala Attack (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote Apr 26 OP

Here is the letter reference in the OP LetMyPeopleVote Apr 26 #1

These people are insane and shameless. Congress is in charge of the White House grounds, not the occupier. Blues Heron Apr 26 #2

As a dues paying member of the Nationl Trust, I say 'No". sinkingfeeling Apr 26 #3

How was this whole thing not effing planned? tinrobot Apr 26 #4

What a lot of horse ****. Liberal In Texas Apr 26 #5

Group won't end its lawsuit to halt Trump's ballroom. LetMyPeopleVote Monday #6

Ballroom is unnecessary waste. moondust Monday #7

MaddowBlog-Trump's Justice Department joins ballroom lobbying campaign in an unusual way LetMyPeopleVote Monday #8

National Trust says it won't drop suit against Trump's $400M White House ballroom after DOJ request LetMyPeopleVote Monday #9

Scathing new motion from DOJ leaders explicitly calls on federal court to dismiss ballroom lawsuit LetMyPeopleVote Tuesday #10

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts)

1. Here is the letter reference in the OP

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:28 PM

Apr 26

This idiot DOJ lawyer should be embarrassed for signing his name to this letter

Link to tweet

You’d think the acting AG would be prioritizing justice after an apparent mass shooting attempt involving top officials in our government, but he seems more focused on getting Donald Trump’s ballroom built—something that has nothing to do with last night’s event.

Blues Heron

(8,974 posts)

2. These people are insane and shameless. Congress is in charge of the White House grounds, not the occupier.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:39 PM

Apr 26

These are Nazi tactics- use an attack to gain some advantage. Now if it is true trump is being paid a percentage as the “developer” of the site? No wonder they are so invested in building this white elephant.

sinkingfeeling

(57,945 posts)

3. As a dues paying member of the Nationl Trust, I say 'No".

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:42 PM

Apr 26

tinrobot

(12,104 posts)

4. How was this whole thing not effing planned?

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:42 PM

Apr 26

Liberal In Texas

(16,369 posts)

5. What a lot of horse ****.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Sun Apr 26, 2026, 05:49 PM

Apr 26

trumpy has Ballroom Derangement Syndrome.

Sure, the hotel was the site of Reagan getting shot. That is apples and oranges to what happened last night. Reagan was OUTSIDE the hotel on the sidewalk going to the limo. Last night a guy staying in the hotel rushed security got off a few nearly wild rounds and was quickly subdued.

trumpy also claims that the monster dance hall will have bullet proof glass. So? I suppose it might stop a sniper 2000 yards away. Except something like that never happens except on TV or in the movies.

"...lawsuit puts the lives of the President, his family, and his staff at grave risk." How? Is the trumpy entourage going to never do business outside the White House? He's going to live in a ballroom cocoon so nobody but nobody can get to him?

No. This is just big monument to his ego. A place to show-off to other foreign despots. And a place that will never, never be used for the WHCD.

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts)

6. Group won't end its lawsuit to halt Trump's ballroom.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Mon Apr 27, 2026, 12:50 PM

Monday

Link to tweet

moondust

(21,333 posts)

7. Ballroom is unnecessary waste.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Mon Apr 27, 2026, 01:45 PM

Monday

I'm sure there are plenty of securable places around DC to hold the WHCD. It doesn't have to be in a place with more than 1000 rooms. Hold it in the Pentagon if necessary.

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts)

8. MaddowBlog-Trump's Justice Department joins ballroom lobbying campaign in an unusual way

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Mon Apr 27, 2026, 05:20 PM

Monday

It’s really not the DOJ’s job to tell private litigants “enough is enough” because the president doesn’t want to be inconvenienced by the legal process.

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-justice-department-joins-ballroom-lobbying-campaign

But as part of his campaign, Trump specifically condemned the ongoing lawsuit challenging the legality of his construction project, writing online, “The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with … its construction.”

Trump’s Justice Department evidently noticed. From the MS NOW report:

The Justice Department demanded the National Trust for Historic Preservation drop its lawsuit against the construction of the ballroom.

‘When the White House ballroom is complete, President Trump and his successors will no longer need to venture beyond the safety of the White House perimeter to attend large gatherings at the Washington Hilton ballroom,’ [the DOJ] asserted in a letter Sunday.

In the same one-page letter, Brett Shumate, the DOJ Civil Division’s assistant attorney general, added, “Put simply, your lawsuit puts the lives of the President, his family, and his staff at grave risk. … Enough is enough.”

He demanded the National Trust for Historic Preservation “voluntarily dismiss this frivolous lawsuit today in light of last night’s assassination attempt on President Trump. If your client does not dismiss the lawsuit by 9:00 AM on Monday, the government will move to dissolve the injunction and dismiss the case in light of last night’s extraordinary events.”....

We didn’t necessarily need fresh evidence of Main Justice acting like an extension of the Oval Office and the president’s wishes, but Shumate and Blanche offered up a new example on Sunday anyway.

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts)

9. National Trust says it won't drop suit against Trump's $400M White House ballroom after DOJ request

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Mon Apr 27, 2026, 05:45 PM

Monday

The request to drop this lawsuit was so stupid that it is sad. The lawyers in the DOJ who made that request should be embarrassed.

Let the Baby have his candy IF, and only if, we can name it â€œThe Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Ballroomâ€ ðŸ’ƒðŸ•º(via @apnews.com) National Trust says it won't drop suit against Trump's 0M White House ballroom after DOJ request
— Toke Up #Ð¡Ð»Ð°Ð²Ð°Ð£ÐºÑ€Ð°Ñ—Ð½Ñ– #Ð“ÐµÑ€Ð¾ÑÐ¼Ð¡Ð»Ð°Ð²Ð° Kill Nazis ðŸŒ» (@tokeupkillnazis.bsky.social) 2026-04-27T21:29:31.343Z

https://apnews.com/article/white-house-ballroom-donald-trump-lawsuit-bcbe5b42723fcae1870d55b5921404b5

WASHINGTON (AP) — Preservationists are pressing ahead with their lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom, declining a request by the Department of Justice to withdraw the complaint following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.

Trump and other conservatives have made a renewed push for the ballroom in the wake of Saturday’s media dinner shooting, arguing it exposed the difficulties in ensuring presidential security at large events outside the White House grounds, and urging the National Trust for Historic Preservation to drop its lawsuit.

Top Justice officials said the government would ask a court to dismiss the lawsuit “in light of last night’s extraordinary events” if the Trust did not voluntarily drop it.

Trust attorney Gregory Craig declined that request, writing to the Justice Department that the legal issues at the heart of the lawsuit are unchanged.

“What Saturday’s awful event does not change is that the Constitution and multiple federal statutes require Congress to authorize construction of a ballroom on White House grounds, and that Congress has not done so,” Craig wrote.

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,311 posts)

10. Scathing new motion from DOJ leaders explicitly calls on federal court to dismiss ballroom lawsuit

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Tue Apr 28, 2026, 12:55 AM

Tuesday

Most lawyers would be very embarrassed to file this type of motion. Blanche and company are catering to trump and trump's desire for his stupid ballroom.

Link to tweet

Whoa. Scathing new motion from DOJ leaders — including Todd Blanche — explicitly calls on federal court to dismiss ballroom lawsuit.

Insults the National Trust — "they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS."

Reads like Trump wrote it.

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