NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming on the White House South Lawn in a show timed for President Donald Trump鈥檚 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation鈥檚 .
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration鈥檚 authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
鈥淭his is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,鈥� said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. 鈥淎nd that is what is motivating this lawsuit.鈥�
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was 鈥渁n obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory鈥� attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was 鈥渘o 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.鈥�
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature 鈥渁 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.鈥� Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.
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