By Arden Farhi
April 28, 2026
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asked a federal judge to revisit an order that paused above-ground construction of a new White House ballroom, arguing a recent shooting connected to the White House Correspondents’ Association event underscores the project’s importance for presidential security.
In a nine-page filing submitted late Monday, Blanche requested an “indicative ruling” from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon — essentially asking Leon to indicate whether he would lift the preliminary injunction or dismiss the case if the appeals court returns it to him. Earlier this month, Leon issued the injunction halting above-ground work until the administration secures congressional approval; the judge left intact work on an underground presidential bunker beneath the East Wing.
A federal appeals court has temporarily allowed construction to proceed while it reviews the dispute and is scheduled to hear oral arguments in early June. The lawsuit, filed late last year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, contends the project violates legal and historic-preservation requirements and says it will press the case.
Blanche’s filing links the attempted assassination at the Washington Hilton to the need for a permanent, secure event venue at the White House. He described the Saturday shooting as a “narrow miss” that highlights the lack of a secure large-event facility in Washington, D.C., and asserted the attack “could never have taken place in the new facility,” calling the ballroom a national security necessity.
The submission included a sworn affidavit from Secret Service deputy director Matthew Quinn, who outlined security challenges at large off-site venues. Quinn wrote that events held away from the White House bring members of the public into closer proximity with the president, while the White House is a controlled facility with established, permanent security infrastructure.
Authorities charged the alleged shooter, Cole Allen, on Monday with attempting to assassinate President Trump at the Washington Hilton. The filing noted historical precedent: after John Hinckley Jr.’s attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan outside the same hotel in 1981, the Hilton was retrofitted to accommodate presidential visits; presidents routinely attend events there several times a year.
Judge Leon has expressed concern about the project’s financing, which relies on a reported $400 million private arrangement, and about the absence of congressional input on the plan. In response, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he intends to introduce legislation that would allow the ballroom’s construction.
Blanche’s brief also attacked the National Trust on political grounds, accusing the organization of what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS,” and claiming that similar litigation would not have been brought against another president. The National Trust did not immediately respond to requests for comment.