A federal lawsuit has been filed to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn, 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 on Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends that the Trump administration’s authorisation of the June 14 event was unlawful.
The lawsuit says the approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, that Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space, and that no environmental review was conducted before 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.”
