WASHINGTON 鈥� A federal appeals court on Saturday ordered a lower court to clarify how its order blocking construction on President Donald Trump鈥檚 White House ballroom could be reconciled with more recent claims that the project鈥檚 main purpose is to add a sprawling military compound.
By a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia allowed construction to continue until Friday, briefly extending a stay set by Judge Richard Leon on his ruling, and allowing the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to intervene.
Leon had ordered construction halted until the president sought approval from lawmakers on his plans to substantially reshape the White House campus. Trump tore down the East Wing last October to make way for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The order Saturday said that the Trump administration had injected considerable confusion into the case. It noted the recent claims of officials, also made by Trump, that the ballroom is only one element of a major overhaul that includes a giant underground bunker complex.
The government, the panel wrote, had not 鈥渆xplained how, if at all, the injunction interferes with their existing plans for safety and security at the remaining portions of the White House during the construction project.鈥�
Leon had paused his order from taking effect until Tuesday, giving the government two weeks to prepare an appeal. Construction has proceeded ahead of that court-ordered deadline.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization chartered by Congress, sued over the project, arguing that the president had refused input and resisted oversight in violation of the law.
Since Leon鈥檚 order, Trump and his staff have shifted their messaging about the project鈥檚 purpose, insisting that the more crucial reason for the renovation is the construction of a new bunker below ground. Trump told reporters that the ballroom would merely be a 鈥渟hed鈥� placed atop the military complex.
Carving out a narrow exception, Leon wrote in his order that 鈥渁ctions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House鈥� could continue to prevent any risks from an open work site next to the president鈥檚 residence.
The order Saturday said it was not possible to proceed without clarity from Leon about what work was allowed under his order and the exception for crucial security features.
This article originally appeared in .
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