A federal lawsuit seeks to halt plans for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event planned for the White House's South Lawn and scheduled for President Donald Trump's birthday, June 14th.
The lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of an Air Force Veteran. "This plan is deeply corrupt," the lawsuit states. "The President is giving (Dana) White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access."
The lawsuit claims that the use of the nation's monumental spaces and national parklands for private use are tightly restricted. "Under the National Park Service's ("NPS" or "Park Service") usual permitting regime, no special events of any sort, including any sporting events, may be held on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial. Nor may structures be erected on the South Lawn without express authorization from Congress and a thorough environmental review."
The lawsuit also claims that no permit has been issued and no environmental review has been conducted to hold the event.
Despite those requirements, a massive stage described as the "claw" has been constructed on the White House's South Lawn.
The event is being held under the auspices of being part of the nation's celebration of the 250th birthday of America. A National Park Service rule allows for the planning of events related to the anniversary to go forward without following the usual permitting process. However, the lawsuit claims, this event does not meet the standard of being part of the celebration.
"Rather, UFC Freedom 250 is a private, for-profit sporting event being 'planned, organized, and executed' by the UFC, its broadcast partners, and its advertisers, not by the federal government. And it is not in any material sense a 'celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence'—it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC's brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump's birth," the lawsuit alleged.
An administration official told CBS News that the lawsuit was "an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory" effort to stop Trump "from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our nation's history during our semiquincentennial celebration."
"This iconic 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 official told CBS News.
