Trump administration cites assassination attempt to press White House ballroom construction
The U.S. Justice Department filed an emergency court motion Monday arguing that a failed assassination attempt on President Trump underscores the need for a new White House ballroom, which a federal judge had ordered halted. The filing came less than 72 hours after a man was arrested for trying to assassinate Trump at the White House. Separately, the administration announced an indictment of former FBI director James Comey and accelerated an FCC review of ABC licenses after a late-night host's joke about Melania Trump.
The U.S. Justice Department filed an emergency court motion Monday arguing that a failed assassination attempt on President Trump underscores the need for a new White House ballroom, which a federal judge had ordered halted. The filing came less than 72 hours after a man was arrested for trying to assassinate Trump at the White House.
The emergency motion was part of a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeking to halt construction of a new White House ballroom. A federal judge ruled earlier in May that construction had to stop; an appeals court later paused that ruling. The Justice Department filing said: "Saturday’s narrow miss – which marks the third assassination attempt on President Trump since 2024 – confirms what should have already been obvious: presidents need a secure space for large events, that currently does not exist in Washington DC, and this court’s injunction stalling this project cannot defensibly continue, for the sake of the safety of President Trump, future presidents, and their families, cabinets, and staff."
Separately, Todd Blanche, acting attorney general, announced that a grand jury in North Carolina had indicted former FBI director James Comey with threatening Trump. The charges stemmed from an Instagram post of sea shells arranged to read "86 47"; Comey apologized, saying he was unaware "86" could convey violent intent. Mike Zamore, national director of policy and government affairs at the ACLU, said: "James Comey’s latest indictment is yet another example of President Trump abusing his power to target his perceived political opponents."
On May 1, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel joked that Melania Trump "had a glow like an expectant widow." Melania Trump criticized Kimmel on May 2, saying his "hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country." FCC chairman Brendan Carr announced it was speeding up a review of eight ABC local broadcasting licenses; Carr denied it was related to Kimmel's joke. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said: "The FCC is neither the journalism police nor the humor police."
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