Trump Gets REBUKED by Federal Judge in WORST WAY YET

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian dig into the legal reasoning behind Judge Richard Leon's ruling halting construction of Trump's $400 million White House ballroom. Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that "no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have" and delivered the line of the year: "The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!" The Trump administration argued it could bypass Congress by using private donations and shoehorning the project under a statute that authorizes spending on "care, maintenance, repair, alteration" of the White House — including heating, air conditioning, and lighting. Leon rejected that argument as "brazen," noting that under the administration's reading, a president could tear down the White House and build a skyscraper in its place and call it an "improvement." Brian and Shant walk through the two key statutes — Section 105 requiring congressional appropriations for White House alterations, and Section 8106 flatly prohibiting any structure from being erected on federal public grounds in D.C. without express congressional authority. The solution, the judge noted, is simple: go ask Congress.

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