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.

Shumate said in his letter that a completed ballroom would mean future presidents “will no longer need to venture beyond the safety of the White House perimeter to attend large gatherings at the Washington Hilton ballroom.”

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.

Shumate said that if the National Trust fails to move to dismiss its lawsuit, the federal government will ask the court to dissolve an earlier ruling blocking construction and dismiss the case “in light of last night’s extraordinary events.” The government will state the National Trust opposed its request to dismiss if the nonprofit doesn’t reply by Monday morning.

“I am available today if you would like to discuss ending this unnecessary and dangerous litigation,” Shumate wrote.

Craig didn’t immediately return a request for comment Sunday.

Shumate’s missive represents the latest development in litigation brought by the National Trust in December, after Trump oversaw the demolition of the historic East Wing to make way for a new ballroom using private funding and without Congress approval.

Senior Judge Richard Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled to halt the construction project last month, after finding Trump likely acted outside of his powers.

The judge carved out an exception for work ensuring the safety and security of the construction site, but he rejected the administration’s arguments that the entire project was needed for national security.

The Trump administration has long sought to frame the ballroom construction project as a security requirement in that case, before Saturday’s security incident.

Justice Department attorneys have argued in court filings that the ballroom project includes national-security features, such as bunkers and bomb-shelters, and these features “cannot exist in isolation” and require the ballroom structure to serve as “above-ground cover.”

Leon’s ruling has been on pause while the Washington federal appeals court weighs the case, allowing construction work to continue in the meantime. The appeals court is scheduled to hear oral argument in the government’s appeal on June 5.

Trump has repeatedly tied Saturday’s attempted attack to his stated need for a new ballroom.

In a Truth Social post Sunday, he said the incident “is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.”

Trump also wrote in the post that the lawsuit “must be dropped, immediately,” hours before Blanche posted Shumate’s letter.

The sounds of gunshots at Saturday night’s event prompted chaos and evacuations of top officials from the dinner, held at the same location where Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded while departing the hotel in 1981.

The alleged attacker, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California, is expected to be charged Monday with assaulting a federal officer and using a firearm in an assault, Blanche told NBC.