{"id":149816,"date":"2026-04-28T15:11:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T23:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/28\/doj-files-ballroom-brief-that-reads-like-truth-social-post-because-trump-probably-wrote-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T23:11:17","slug":"doj-files-ballroom-brief-that-reads-like-truth-social-post-because-trump-probably-wrote-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/28\/doj-files-ballroom-brief-that-reads-like-truth-social-post-because-trump-probably-wrote-it\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ Files Ballroom Brief That Reads Like Truth Social Post \u2014 Because Trump Probably Wrote It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2024, during Donald Trump\u2019s New York civil fraud trial, Trump\u2019s legal team \u2014 spearheaded by former Foley &amp; Lardner partner Chris Kise \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/01\/donald-trump-closing-argument-comedy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sent a number of emails<\/a> to the judge asking for the unusual accommodation that Trump be allowed to deliver remarks as part of his closing argument. And when you read through those emails, you can sort of pinpoint a moment where it seemed as though the man with an actual law degree stopped drafting the correspondence and turned it over to a rapidly deteriorating dementia patient. It was right around the point where the emails stopped using phrases like \u201cfraught with ambiguities\u201d and started demanding that Trump be allowed \u201cto speak about the things that must be spoken about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We bring up this episode, because yesterday, the Department of Justice filed a Rule 62.1 motion asking Judge Richard Leon for an indicative ruling that he\u2019ll dissolve his preliminary injunction stalling the White House ballroom project. While signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and featuring the Keystone Kops signature block of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Principal Associate Attorney General Trent McCotter, it\u2019s almost impossible to believe anyone licensed to practice law wrote this document. It arrives hot on the heels of Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumante\u2019s opportunistic letter demanding the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the plaintiff in the ballroom case, <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/good-job-doj-now-the-conspiracy-theorists-have-a-point\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">voluntarily drop the suit<\/a> it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/judge-leon-to-trump-for-real-this-time-a-fancy-ballroom-is-not-a-national-security-necessity\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">winning<\/a> in light of the failed attack on the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/p>\n<p>The Trust did not oblige. <\/p>\n<p>Bringing us to this filing. \u201cIt\u2019s not the most pressing crisis this country faces but I cannot get over the fact that a qualification for being a top lawyer at the DOJ now is apparently being functionally illiterate,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jaywillis.net\/post\/3mkjqrlxwos2a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jay Willis of Balls &amp; Strikes remarked<\/a>. \u201cThis shit reads like a seventh grader wrote it. What are we doing here man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given that it\u2019s <em>not<\/em> the most pressing crisis, but it <em>is<\/em> incredibly embarrassing, this is exactly what we at <em>Above the Law<\/em> stand ready to break down. And any illusion that Trump didn\u2019t compose broad swaths of this motion is dispelled right off the bat:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe National Trust for Historic Preservation\u201d is a beautiful name, but even their name is FAKE because when they add the words \u201cin the United States\u201d to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it makes it sound like a Governmental Agency, which it is not.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sentence one! Sentence one of a federal court filing signed by the Department of Justice triumvirate of torpidity includes a wholly unnecessary \u201cbeautiful\u201d and an all caps \u201cFAKE,\u201d rising to a crescendo circling a syntactic cul-de-sac where the writer loses track of the antecedent. <\/p>\n<p>Did Todd Blanche learn this expert wordsmithing at Cadwalader?<\/p>\n<p>If we must quibble with Willis, he has an unduly dim view of seventh graders. Indeed, we\u2019ve scientifically clocked Trump\u2019s output at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-fire-and-fury-smart-genius-obama-774169\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a fourth-grade reading level<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In fact, the United States refused to continue funding it in 2005 because they strongly disagreed with their mission and objectives. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>It<\/em>. The United States is an \u201cit.\u201d I know these people don\u2019t understand pronouns, but this is ridiculous. In addition to being grammatically accurate, using the proper pronoun here would avoid the confusion of starting the next sentence with \u201cthey\u201d shifting without any marker to the Trust. For the record, the Trust should also be an \u201cit.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>They are very bad for our Country. They stop many projects that are worthy, and hurt many others. In this case, they are trying to stop one that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Random and incorrect capitalization? BY GOD THAT\u2019S DONALD TRUMP\u2019S MUSIC! <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>But this did not deter them because they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS, as noted by Democrat Senator John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, and are represented by the lawyer for Barack Hussein Obama, Gregory Craig.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Friends, this is still the first page. Even if you\u2019re compromising your professional credibility as lawyers to spit out the nonsense the client dictates, at least write \u201cTrump Derangement Syndrome (\u2018TDS\u2019).\u201d Have some self-respect. Fetterman makes a surprise cameo as the man who routinely appears on cable news to declare that he suffered severe brain injury and it made him conservative \u2014 and somehow Republicans fail to see how that might look bad for them. And, of course, Barack <em>Hussein<\/em> Obama \u2014 no \u201cpresident,\u201d yes \u201cHussein\u201d \u2014 joins the <em>dramatis personae<\/em> because <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/georgetown-law-professors-tweet-about-correspondents-dinner-attack-and-barack-obama-is-just-as-bad-as-youre-imagining\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">everything is about Barack Obama with these yahoos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The lower section of the building does not work without the upper section and, likewise, the upper section of the building does not work without the lower. It is all one highly integrated unit! As an example, one venting system, one electrical system, one plumbing system, one security system, one air conditioning and heating system, one elevator connector and, very importantly, one structural steel and enforced concrete system \u2014 and more. Even the bullet proof windows and glass, and the heavy steel, drone proof roof, protect what is below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And a thermal exhaust port no more than two meters wide. Pivoting to another bit of sci-fi imagery from the last century, make sure you read the second sentence in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Big Brother voice from the Apple ad<\/a>. This account is, what we in the business would call \u201clegally irrelevant.\u201d The crux of the lawsuit is that Trump can\u2019t unilaterally demolish and rebuild national monuments without congressional approval. This proves that <em>something<\/em> has to sit atop this bunker, but does nothing to establish that it has to be a gaudy ballroom, much less this architectural monstrosity. And, of course, is silent on why the president gets to unilaterally decide any of this.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>With such a facility, it would have been impossible for an attack like that which took place last Saturday evening in D.C. when an attempted assassin, armed with a shotgun, pistol, and knives, charged through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton in an attempt to assassinate President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of the President\u2019s Cabinet and senior staff, during the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot wrong with this, including the oft-noted fact that the Correspondents\u2019 Dinner is not an official event and the president doesn\u2019t have to attend if he doesn\u2019t want to, but as <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mszafranski.bsky.social\/post\/3mkito4tb4c2h\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Szafranski pointed out yesterday<\/a>, the proposed ballroom IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HOST THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS\u2019 DINNER. The WHCD typically draws over 2,500 attendees. The Trump ballroom project claims to accommodate 999 people. Why is no one else pointing this out?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Three assassination attempts\u2014including the attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassin\u2019s bullet hit the President\u2019s ear\u2014is enough.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Oh, I see what you did there! A little nod to <em>Buck v. Bell<\/em> and \u201cthree generations of imbeciles\u00a0are enough.\u201d Just without matching verb tense.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In addition, in the long and storied history of the White House dating back to 1791, Congress has never dictated or tampered with the zoning, permitting, or architectural aspects of any Project, especially one being given FREE OF CHARGE AS A GIFT TO THE COUNTRY!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Is the ballroom an essential part of national security or a gift? Because it seems irresponsible to have a vital national security project crowdfunded by wealthy donors.<\/p>\n<p>Alas, it is not free of charge anyway, despite this capitalization. As the <em>New York Times<\/em> reports, Trump is handing out secret no-bid contracts to the construction company working on the ballroom to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/25\/us\/politics\/lafayette-park-fountains-trump-contract.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pay them millions and millions over estimates for other projects<\/a>. Though, in light of the WHCD attack, this Congress will probably go ahead and greenlight taxpayer funds anyway.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Without such a location, the President is thus put to the choice of risking his safety by attending events in unsecure venues\u2014be it the tents on the White House lawn, or places like the Washington Hilton (which is now home to two attempted presidential assassinations)\u2014or forgoing those events entirely\u2014to the detriment of his constitutional responsibility to \u201cspeak[] to and on behalf of the American people,\u201d <em>Trump v. United<\/em> <em>States<\/em>, 603 U.S. 593, 617-618 (2023).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He can\u2019t attend events in tents on the White House lawn? So\u2026 where does Trump plan to watch this?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-28-at-2.39.18-PM-1024x577.png?resize=1024%2C577&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1183077\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s the UFC match the official White House account claims Trump will place on the White House lawn. I guess maybe he\u2019ll watch from the window of his ballroom? Is Trump now committing not to hang out in tents on the Ellipse to coordinate the next assault on the Capitol? That might be a nice fringe benefit for the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If any other President had the ability, foresight, or talents necessary, to build this ballroom, which will be one of the greatest, safest, and most secure structures of its kind anywhere in the World, there would never have been a lawsuit. But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don\u2019t, especially those who assume the Office of President, this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it\u2019s called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I believe we defined the term as TDS earlier. <\/p>\n<p>While Trump enjoys describing himself in a manner best described as Pyongyang-chic, it doesn\u2019t have to make its way into filings. But that\u2019s the nature of a Department of Justice staffed by lawyers who have sacrificed their oaths to the Constitution and styled themselves as <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/02\/justice-department-rebrands-as-trumps-personal-law-firm\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trump\u2019s personal lawyers<\/a> \u2014 which, it\u2019s worth noting, both Blanche and Woodward were before this.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also why state licensing authorities remain the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/disbar-them-all-the-only-accountability-left-for-trumps-lawyers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">final defense of the profession<\/a>. Trump might have dictated this brief, but these lawyers slapped their names on it. These are the lawyers who signed their credibility away to a brief that raises serious questions about their ability to competently practice law. They allowed the president turn federal courts into amateur hour, a decision that would raise ethical questions if they were placing their client\u2019s whims over their professional experience and judgment. But on top of that, the president is not, in fact, the Department\u2019s client. The DOJ is supposed to represent the United States and place its interests above the White House\u2019s current occupant. <\/p>\n<p>Or \u201ctheir\u201d interests since we\u2019ve just abandoned grammar. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/good-job-doj-now-the-conspiracy-theorists-have-a-point\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Good Job DOJ, Now The Conspiracy Theorists Have A Point<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/01\/donald-trump-closing-argument-comedy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Hilariously Stupid Emails Between Trump\u2019s Lawyer &amp; The Judge Over His Closing Argument Request<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/disbar-them-all-the-only-accountability-left-for-trumps-lawyers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Disbar Them All: The Only Accountability Left For Trump\u2019s Lawyers<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-443318\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Headshot-300x200.jpg?resize=188%2C125&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Headshot\" width=\"188\" height=\"125\" title=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/joe-patrice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of <a href=\"http:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:joepatrice@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joepatrice.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rpnexecsearch.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/doj-files-ballroom-brief-that-reads-like-truth-social-post-because-trump-probably-wrote-it\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DOJ Files Ballroom Brief That Reads Like Truth Social Post \u2014 Because Trump Probably Wrote It<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2024, during Donald Trump\u2019s New York civil fraud trial, Trump\u2019s legal team \u2014 spearheaded by former Foley &amp; Lardner partner Chris Kise \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/01\/donald-trump-closing-argument-comedy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sent a number of emails<\/a> to the judge asking for the unusual accommodation that Trump be allowed to deliver remarks as part of his closing argument. And when you read through those emails, you can sort of pinpoint a moment where it seemed as though the man with an actual law degree stopped drafting the correspondence and turned it over to a rapidly deteriorating dementia patient. It was right around the point where the emails stopped using phrases like \u201cfraught with ambiguities\u201d and started demanding that Trump be allowed \u201cto speak about the things that must be spoken about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We bring up this episode, because yesterday, the Department of Justice filed a Rule 62.1 motion asking Judge Richard Leon for an indicative ruling that he\u2019ll dissolve his preliminary injunction stalling the White House ballroom project. While signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and featuring the Keystone Kops signature block of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Principal Associate Attorney General Trent McCotter, it\u2019s almost impossible to believe anyone licensed to practice law wrote this document. It arrives hot on the heels of Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumante\u2019s opportunistic letter demanding the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the plaintiff in the ballroom case, <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/good-job-doj-now-the-conspiracy-theorists-have-a-point\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">voluntarily drop the suit<\/a> it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/judge-leon-to-trump-for-real-this-time-a-fancy-ballroom-is-not-a-national-security-necessity\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">winning<\/a> in light of the failed attack on the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/p>\n<p>The Trust did not oblige. <\/p>\n<p>Bringing us to this filing. \u201cIt\u2019s not the most pressing crisis this country faces but I cannot get over the fact that a qualification for being a top lawyer at the DOJ now is apparently being functionally illiterate,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jaywillis.net\/post\/3mkjqrlxwos2a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jay Willis of Balls &amp; Strikes remarked<\/a>. \u201cThis shit reads like a seventh grader wrote it. What are we doing here man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given that it\u2019s <em>not<\/em> the most pressing crisis, but it <em>is<\/em> incredibly embarrassing, this is exactly what we at <em>Above the Law<\/em> stand ready to break down. And any illusion that Trump didn\u2019t compose broad swaths of this motion is dispelled right off the bat:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe National Trust for Historic Preservation\u201d is a beautiful name, but even their name is FAKE because when they add the words \u201cin the United States\u201d to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it makes it sound like a Governmental Agency, which it is not.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sentence one! Sentence one of a federal court filing signed by the Department of Justice triumvirate of torpidity includes a wholly unnecessary \u201cbeautiful\u201d and an all caps \u201cFAKE,\u201d rising to a crescendo circling a syntactic cul-de-sac where the writer loses track of the antecedent. <\/p>\n<p>Did Todd Blanche learn this expert wordsmithing at Cadwalader?<\/p>\n<p>If we must quibble with Willis, he has an unduly dim view of seventh graders. Indeed, we\u2019ve scientifically clocked Trump\u2019s output at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-fire-and-fury-smart-genius-obama-774169\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a fourth-grade reading level<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In fact, the United States refused to continue funding it in 2005 because they strongly disagreed with their mission and objectives. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>It<\/em>. The United States is an \u201cit.\u201d I know these people don\u2019t understand pronouns, but this is ridiculous. In addition to being grammatically accurate, using the proper pronoun here would avoid the confusion of starting the next sentence with \u201cthey\u201d shifting without any marker to the Trust. For the record, the Trust should also be an \u201cit.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>They are very bad for our Country. They stop many projects that are worthy, and hurt many others. In this case, they are trying to stop one that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Random and incorrect capitalization? BY GOD THAT\u2019S DONALD TRUMP\u2019S MUSIC! <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>But this did not deter them because they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS, as noted by Democrat Senator John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, and are represented by the lawyer for Barack Hussein Obama, Gregory Craig.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Friends, this is still the first page. Even if you\u2019re compromising your professional credibility as lawyers to spit out the nonsense the client dictates, at least write \u201cTrump Derangement Syndrome (\u2018TDS\u2019).\u201d Have some self-respect. Fetterman makes a surprise cameo as the man who routinely appears on cable news to declare that he suffered severe brain injury and it made him conservative \u2014 and somehow Republicans fail to see how that might look bad for them. And, of course, Barack <em>Hussein<\/em> Obama \u2014 no \u201cpresident,\u201d yes \u201cHussein\u201d \u2014 joins the <em>dramatis personae<\/em> because <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/georgetown-law-professors-tweet-about-correspondents-dinner-attack-and-barack-obama-is-just-as-bad-as-youre-imagining\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">everything is about Barack Obama with these yahoos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The lower section of the building does not work without the upper section and, likewise, the upper section of the building does not work without the lower. It is all one highly integrated unit! As an example, one venting system, one electrical system, one plumbing system, one security system, one air conditioning and heating system, one elevator connector and, very importantly, one structural steel and enforced concrete system \u2014 and more. Even the bullet proof windows and glass, and the heavy steel, drone proof roof, protect what is below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And a thermal exhaust port no more than two meters wide. Pivoting to another bit of sci-fi imagery from the last century, make sure you read the second sentence in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Big Brother voice from the Apple ad<\/a>. This account is, what we in the business would call \u201clegally irrelevant.\u201d The crux of the lawsuit is that Trump can\u2019t unilaterally demolish and rebuild national monuments without congressional approval. This proves that <em>something<\/em> has to sit atop this bunker, but does nothing to establish that it has to be a gaudy ballroom, much less this architectural monstrosity. And, of course, is silent on why the president gets to unilaterally decide any of this.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>With such a facility, it would have been impossible for an attack like that which took place last Saturday evening in D.C. when an attempted assassin, armed with a shotgun, pistol, and knives, charged through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton in an attempt to assassinate President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of the President\u2019s Cabinet and senior staff, during the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot wrong with this, including the oft-noted fact that the Correspondents\u2019 Dinner is not an official event and the president doesn\u2019t have to attend if he doesn\u2019t want to, but as <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mszafranski.bsky.social\/post\/3mkito4tb4c2h\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Szafranski pointed out yesterday<\/a>, the proposed ballroom IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HOST THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS\u2019 DINNER. The WHCD typically draws over 2,500 attendees. The Trump ballroom project claims to accommodate 999 people. Why is no one else pointing this out?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Three assassination attempts\u2014including the attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassin\u2019s bullet hit the President\u2019s ear\u2014is enough.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Oh, I see what you did there! A little nod to <em>Buck v. Bell<\/em> and \u201cthree generations of imbeciles\u00a0are enough.\u201d Just without matching verb tense.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In addition, in the long and storied history of the White House dating back to 1791, Congress has never dictated or tampered with the zoning, permitting, or architectural aspects of any Project, especially one being given FREE OF CHARGE AS A GIFT TO THE COUNTRY!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Is the ballroom an essential part of national security or a gift? Because it seems irresponsible to have a vital national security project crowdfunded by wealthy donors.<\/p>\n<p>Alas, it is not free of charge anyway, despite this capitalization. As the <em>New York Times<\/em> reports, Trump is handing out secret no-bid contracts to the construction company working on the ballroom to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/25\/us\/politics\/lafayette-park-fountains-trump-contract.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pay them millions and millions over estimates for other projects<\/a>. Though, in light of the WHCD attack, this Congress will probably go ahead and greenlight taxpayer funds anyway.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Without such a location, the President is thus put to the choice of risking his safety by attending events in unsecure venues\u2014be it the tents on the White House lawn, or places like the Washington Hilton (which is now home to two attempted presidential assassinations)\u2014or forgoing those events entirely\u2014to the detriment of his constitutional responsibility to \u201cspeak[] to and on behalf of the American people,\u201d <em>Trump v. United<\/em> <em>States<\/em>, 603 U.S. 593, 617-618 (2023).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He can\u2019t attend events in tents on the White House lawn? So\u2026 where does Trump plan to watch this?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-28-at-2.39.18-PM-1024x577.png?resize=1024%2C577&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1183077\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s the UFC match the official White House account claims Trump will place on the White House lawn. I guess maybe he\u2019ll watch from the window of his ballroom? Is Trump now committing not to hang out in tents on the Ellipse to coordinate the next assault on the Capitol? That might be a nice fringe benefit for the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If any other President had the ability, foresight, or talents necessary, to build this ballroom, which will be one of the greatest, safest, and most secure structures of its kind anywhere in the World, there would never have been a lawsuit. But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don\u2019t, especially those who assume the Office of President, this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it\u2019s called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I believe we defined the term as TDS earlier. <\/p>\n<p>While Trump enjoys describing himself in a manner best described as Pyongyang-chic, it doesn\u2019t have to make its way into filings. But that\u2019s the nature of a Department of Justice staffed by lawyers who have sacrificed their oaths to the Constitution and styled themselves as <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/02\/justice-department-rebrands-as-trumps-personal-law-firm\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trump\u2019s personal lawyers<\/a> \u2014 which, it\u2019s worth noting, both Blanche and Woodward were before this.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also why state licensing authorities remain the <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/disbar-them-all-the-only-accountability-left-for-trumps-lawyers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">final defense of the profession<\/a>. Trump might have dictated this brief, but these lawyers slapped their names on it. These are the lawyers who signed their credibility away to a brief that raises serious questions about their ability to competently practice law. They allowed the president turn federal courts into amateur hour, a decision that would raise ethical questions if they were placing their client\u2019s whims over their professional experience and judgment. But on top of that, the president is not, in fact, the Department\u2019s client. The DOJ is supposed to represent the United States and place its interests above the White House\u2019s current occupant. <\/p>\n<p>Or \u201ctheir\u201d interests since we\u2019ve just abandoned grammar. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/good-job-doj-now-the-conspiracy-theorists-have-a-point\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Good Job DOJ, Now The Conspiracy Theorists Have A Point<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/01\/donald-trump-closing-argument-comedy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Hilariously Stupid Emails Between Trump\u2019s Lawyer &amp; The Judge Over His Closing Argument Request<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/01\/disbar-them-all-the-only-accountability-left-for-trumps-lawyers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Disbar Them All: The Only Accountability Left For Trump\u2019s Lawyers<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-443318\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Headshot-300x200.jpg?resize=188%2C125&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Headshot\" width=\"188\" height=\"125\" title=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/joe-patrice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of <a href=\"http:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:joepatrice@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joepatrice.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rpnexecsearch.com\/josephpatrice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2026\/04\/doj-files-ballroom-brief-that-reads-like-truth-social-post-because-trump-probably-wrote-it\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DOJ Files Ballroom Brief That Reads Like Truth Social Post \u2014 Because Trump Probably Wrote It<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2024, during Donald Trump\u2019s New York civil fraud trial, Trump\u2019s legal team \u2014 spearheaded by former Foley &amp; Lardner partner Chris Kise \u2014 sent a number of emails to the judge asking for the unusual accommodation that Trump be allowed to deliver remarks as part of his closing argument. And when you read [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149816\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}