A public health advocacy group sued the Trump administration Wednesday, seeking any documents about treatment for hazardous materials such as asbestos before the sudden demolition last fall of the White House’s East Wing.
The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia says multiple federal agencies and President Donald Trump’s office violated the public records law by not responding to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s numerous requests for information on what was done to manage the release of dangerous materials when the building was torn down.
Plans for the demolition and project for what Trump has touted as a 90,000-square-foot ballroom have been largely kept out of the public eye, but a federal planning commission on Thursday is scheduled to hold a public meeting to learn more about the White House’s vision.
Shortly after construction crews started to raze the East Wing in late October, experts raised concerns about the exposure of nearby workers and others to asbestos, the cancer-causing fibers historically used in building materials.
