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As #GOP leaders leaped to defend Trump’s decision to tear down the #EastWing of the #WhiteHouse last year, one #Republican lawmaker *privately* warned a senior White House aide that he had “substantial concerns” & demanded answers about how the decision was made.
Admin officials pledged the project would not “interfere” with existing structures, & the public had no warning about the demolition.
#Trump #law #landmark #preservation #architecture #environment #UShistory
As #GOP leaders leaped to defend Trump’s decision to tear down the #EastWing of the #WhiteHouse last year, one #Republican lawmaker *privately* warned a senior White House aide that he had “substantial concerns” & demanded answers about how the decision was made.
Admin officials pledged the project would not “interfere” with existing structures, & the public had no warning about the demolition.
#Trump #law #landmark #preservation #architecture #environment #UShistory
“The stark images of the #EastWing demolished in mere days were disturbing to Americans who cherish #preservation of our nation’s #history,” Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), co-chair of the congressional #HistoricPreservation Caucus, wrote in an Oct. 24 letter obtained through a #FOIA request….
#Trump #law #landmark #preservation #architecture #environment #UShistory
Turner’s correspondence to Will Scharf, Trump’s staff secretary & chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, the review cmte with the power to approve or reject the ballroom project, raised questions about #oversight, #transparency & process, including whether the #WhiteHouse had taken steps to preserve #artifacts.
#Trump #law #landmark #preservation #EastWing #architecture #environment #UShistory
The communication, obtained by the govt watchdog group Public Citizen, adds to the public understanding of sweeping concerns voiced by members of #Congress, preservationists & others over #transparency & other issues with Trump’s project. A federal judge is weighing a legal challenge to the construction.
#Trump #law #landmark #preservation #EastWing #architecture #environment #UShistory
Scharf responded more than seven weeks‼️ later, telling Turner that #Trump admin officials did not consult with or get the approval of the commission before tearing down the #EastWing. But, he added, they were not required to since the commission’s review process covers only “vertical” construction — not demolition or site preparation.[ridiculous]
#law #landmark #preservation #architecture #environment #UShistory
Scharf has made the same argument several times since, a position critics have blasted as absurd because those three steps are so closely linked — & because part of the commission’s duty in reviewing projects is to consider the #preservation of buildings that already exist.
#Trump #law #landmark #EastWing #architecture #environment #UShistory
