CBS reporter Weijia Jiang clashed with White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on Thursday over President Donald Trump’s removal of the White House’s East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The back-and-forth occurred during a press briefing when Jiang questioned whether Trump followed proper construction protocols.
“The White House explained that the reason you didn’t submit construction plans to the NCPC (National Capital Planning Commission) is because this commission, along with others, doesn’t oversee demolition, only construction, and so far you haven’t built anything,” Jiang Leavitt said.
“Can you help us understand? Can the president tear down anything he wants without supervision, can he tear down this building or say, the Jefferson Memorial?” Jiang asked.
Leavitt applauded, saying it was not Trump’s legal opinion, but NCPC’s.
“This is a legal opinion that NCPC has held for many years,” Leavitt said. “They have consistently ruled, their general counsel has said, that when it comes to the first phase of this project, the demolition of the current East Wing structure, legally there is no need to submit a submission for that – only in the case of vertical construction, a submission will need to be submitted. And this is their legal opinion. We follow that legal opinion.”
Leavitt said some other presidents have renovated the White House in the past, including the press room where they stand.
“There have been many presidents in the past who have made their mark in this magnificent White House complex. This briefing room…once wasn’t a briefing room, it was a swimming pool.” Leavitt said. “There have been presidents who have completely destroyed the executive mansion.
Then Jiang jumped in again.
“So it looks like the answer is, ‘Yes, he can tear down whatever he wants,'” she stated.
But Leavitt interjected, saying, “That’s not what we’re saying. That’s a legal opinion that’s been held for years.”
Leavitt then pulled photographic examples from all eras of White House remodeling, noting the construction of the West Wing and West Terrace in 1902.
“I’m asking about the demolition — the demolition,” Jiang interjected, trying to make it clear that she was referring to the deconstructions, not the constructions that have been done at the White House. Leavitt went on to name the constructs.
“Can he tear down anything he wants?” Jiang pressed on.
“Look at that wreckage,” Leavitt said. “How did that wreckage get there?”
Jiang was one of the few who asked Leavitt about the demolition. The ABC’s Mary Bruce also asked the press secretary for answers.
“The president initially said that this project would not interfere with or affect the current structure,” Bruce said. “Now he’s saying it needs to be done properly, he understood that the east wing had to be demolished. This is the people’s house. Why not inform the public of that change and when it was decided that the east wing had to be demolished?”
Photos of Thursday’s demolition show that the East Wing is now nothing but rubble. In addition, the images taken show that in addition to the removal of the East Wing, the deconstruction also included the East Colonnade, where the White House Cinema Room had shown movies for many years. The ballroom cost 300 million so far.
You can watch the exchange between Jiang and Leavitt in the video above.
Post CBS reporter battles Caroline Leavitt over East Wing demolition: ‘Can the president tear down anything he wants?’ | The video first appeared on TheWrap.