WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday railed against a federal judge’s ruling that continues to block above-ground construction of the $400 million White House ballroom, allowing work only below ground on bunkers and other “national security facilities” at the site. The latest ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Lyons comes in response to an appeals court directive asking him to clarify an earlier ruling on a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 square meter) ballroom planned for the site where he demolished the East Wing of the White House. Trump took to social media to criticize Lyon, whom Republican President George W. He was nominated to the bench by Bush, calling the judge a “Trump hater” who “has gone out of his way to undermine national security, and to ensure that this great gift to America is delayed, or not built.” Lyon said work below ground is exempt from his order to suspend construction above ground over safety measures. Government lawyers have argued that the project includes significant security features to protect against potential threats such as drones, ballistic missiles and bio-threats. Lyon’s latest decision comes several days after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was directed to reconsider the potential national security implications of halting construction. In his previous order, Lyon had prevented above-ground work on the ballroom from proceeding without congressional approval. The judge also ruled on March 31 that any construction work necessary to ensure the security of the White House is exempt from the injunction. Lyon said he reviewed material the government had personally submitted to him, before concluding that halting construction would not threaten national security. Lyon had suspended his March 31 order for two weeks. He put his latest decision on hold for another week, giving the administration more time to seek a Supreme Court review. Lyons said he is ordering a halt only to above-ground construction of the planned ballroom, except for any work necessary to cover or secure that portion of the project. Otherwise, the Trump administration is free to proceed with the construction of any excavations, bunkers, military installations and medical facilities beneath the ballroom. “Defendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, end-to-end, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore can proceed unimpeded,” the judge wrote. “This is neither a fair nor true meaning of my order!” On Saturday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it did not have enough information to decide how much of the project could be suspended without endangering the safety of the president, his family or White House staff. Lyons said he recognized the security implications of the case, but stressed that “national security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity.” He also said that he “has no desire or intention to be dragged into the role of construction manager.” On April 2, two days after Lyon’s previous decision, Trump’s ballroom won final approval from the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, which is charged with approving construction on federal property in the Washington area. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit in December, a week after the White House demolished the East Wing to make room for a ballroom that Trump said could seat 999 people. Trump says the project is funded by private donations, although bunker construction and security upgrades are being paid for with public money.
