Key facts
- A majority of an appeals court panel appeared sympathetic to a challenge against President Trump's White House ballroom project.
- The judges questioned the government's arguments that Congress has already approved the project.
- The judges also questioned the government's stance that a preservationist group lacks the right to sue.
- The report from Public Citizen found donors to the ballroom project received over $50 billion in contracts.
- The White House disputes the findings of the Public Citizen report.
A watchdog group, Public Citizen, reported that donors to President Trump's White House ballroom project received over $50 billion in new government contracts. The White House has disputed these findings, calling them 'fake conflicts of interest.' Amidst this controversy and an ongoing legal battle over the ballroom's construction, a three-judge appeals court panel heard oral arguments. A majority of the panel appeared sympathetic to a challenge against the project. The two Democratic-appointed judges questioned the government's assertions that Congress had already granted all necessary approvals and that a preservationist group lacked the standing to sue. The judges used hypothetical scenarios, such as the bulldozing of the Statue of Liberty, to probe the government's arguments.