Judge asks if Trump’s desire to rush triumphal arch in DC is to ‘bedazzle the city’

A federal judge voiced doubt on Friday about the Trump administration's push to start building a 250-foot triumphal arch next week, questioning whether the rush serves any purpose beyond decoration. Judge Tanya Chutkan asked Justice Department attorney Robert Stander what harm would come from waiting three or four months, and whether President Donald Trump mainly wants to "bedazzle the city.", according to CNN · CBS News.

The monument was first pitched for the nation's 250th anniversary. The government now describes it as both a tourist draw and a military site holding drones and ammunition. Chutkan observed that Trump has made the security case online for months, while the government's court filings seemed to avoid it until after the Supreme Court sided with the White House ballroom in August. Stander cited attempts on Trump's life; she replied that the arch would not be finished for years. She also questioned storing military gear where up to 22,000 visitors a day are expected.

Veterans suing to stop the project argue it would compromise Arlington National Cemetery and block the view running from the Lincoln Memorial. The Justice Department says they cannot sue yet because plans are not final.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN · CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN · CBS News →