A consumer advocacy group is asking a court to step in and mandate the federal government hand over documents related to President Donald Trump’s ballroom construction on what used to be the White House’s East Wing.
Public Citizen filed a lawsuit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claiming the Interior Department and National Park Service are violating public records law by not releasing the contract to build the ballroom.
The advocacy group has yet to receive documentation or a determination concerning its Oct. 22 Freedom of Information Act request, despite the Nov. 20 “estimated delivery date,” meaning Interior and the subordinate park agency have passed the law’s 20-business-day deadline to respond, the complaint says.
“The White House has hidden the truth about how the Park Service is being used as a tool to facilitate Trump’s shady ballroom funding scheme,” Jon Golinger, with Public Citizen, said in a news release. “But the American people have the right to know who’s doing what to the People’s House, and we are going to find the facts.”
