06/07/26 12:51:00
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06/07 12:49 CDT Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South
Lawn for Trump's birthday
Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump's
birthday
By MELISSA GOLDIN
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card
on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President
Donald Trump's 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation's 250th
anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia
residents contends the Trump administration's authorization of the June 14
event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park
Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress
did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no
environmental review was conducted before the construction.
"This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred
national monuments for private gain," said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the
plaintiffs. "And that is what is motivating this lawsuit."
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was "an
obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory" attempt to prevent Trump from hosting
the fight and that the event was "no different than the various other White
House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the
Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year."
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the
finished UFC project will feature "a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front
door of the White House." Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will
be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to
issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both
locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White
House building boom Trump is leading.
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