President Trump sharply escalated his criticism of U.S. District Judge Richard Leon on Saturday, accusing the federal jurist of putting our Country in danger by obstructing his planned White House Ballroom and demanding that he get out of the way, and FAST.
According to The Gateway Pundit, Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, first froze work on the project in March, then, after an appeals court remanded the case, allowed only limited construction to proceed. The judges order permits President Trump to move forward with an underground bunker, but above-ground work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom remains blocked.
President Trump had already blasted Leons earlier ruling in April, calling him a man who has gone out of his way to undermine National Security, and to make sure that this Great Gift to America gets delayed, or doesnt get built. From the outset, the President has framed the ballroom and related additions not as vanity projects, but as critical upgrades to protect the nations capital in an era of advanced threats.
The President is continuing his legal fight to resume full construction, now pointing to the recent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner as further proof that enhanced security infrastructure is urgently needed. He has repeatedly stressed the defensive role of the expansion, including its capacity to house drones as a rapid-response measure in the event of an attack on Washington, D.C.
This will someday save Washington, Trump declared, sharing an image of his proposed drone port atop the White House. Judge Leon has to get out of the way, and FAST. He is putting our Country in danger!
Trump has previously circulated his drone port concept while rebuking the judge, writing, Judge Richard Leon should stop playing games with Americas Security! Warning of the stakes, he added, If anything happens, he will be held responsible for the Death and Destruction caused to our Country, emphasizing that with the advent of highly sophisticated, and powerful, modern day weaponry, we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone.
Yet opposition is not limited to the courts, as lawmakers in both parties are working to block the project despite its stated national security purpose. The Senate on Friday approved a reconciliation package to fund the Department of Homeland Securitys immigration agencies only after stripping out $1 billion earmarked for the ballroom.
Further efforts to derail the construction came in the form of an amendment by Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, which would have required explicit Congressional approval for the project. Six RepublicansSusan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Thom Tillis of North Carolinajoined Democrats in backing the measure, underscoring a growing rift between the President and members of his own party over whether Washingtons security needs will be met or sacrificed to political posturing.
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