By Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) – A federal judge in Washington has been asked to block President Donald Trump’s plan to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts bout at the White House next week and to halt construction of the metal arena structure called “the Claw” on the South Lawn of the iconic executive residence.
Two Washington-area residents in a court filing on Sunday asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to issue a temporary restraining order halting the event, scheduled to coincide with Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14.
Mehta on Monday asked the lawyers in the case to propose a schedule to hear the emergency request.
Dubbed “UFC Freedom 250”, the event is set to feature fighting inside the 92-foot-tall (28 meters), octagon-shaped cage with weigh-ins at the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
The lawsuit, filed on Saturday, alleges that authorization of the program by the National Park Service and Interior Department was unlawful and should be set aside.
“This nation’s public monuments should not be loaned out for private exploitation,” the plaintiffs said.
In a statement, the White House called the case an “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit” and said the event “is 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.”
The lawsuit contends the event violates rules barring sporting events on the South Lawn and at the Lincoln Memorial, and that construction of the large arena structure requires congressional authorization.
Trump is facing other lawsuits over construction projects on the White House and elsewhere in the capital, including his plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing, and his proposal to renovate and closeThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
(Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario and Bill Berkrot)
