Topline
President Donald Trump lashed out at a judge who rs his name must be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, blasting the judge’s wife’s connections to former President Joe Biden and the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump commented on the ruling Saturday morning.
Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump said in a Truth Social post that U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper “stopped a magnificent structural and aesthetic rebuilding” of the Kennedy Center, criticizing the judge’s appointment by former President Barack Obama.
Cooper temporarily blocked the two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations spearheaded by Trump, who claimed Saturday the building was in a “potential state of collapse.”
“The Trump Hating Judge wants to keep it open because his wife probably told him to do so,” Trump added, calling Cooper’s wife Amy Jeffress a “Radical Left Democrat” and noting her work with the Obama administration’s Justice Department and as personal counsel to the Biden family.
The president accused Cooper of having a conflict of interest and said he “should be brought up on charges for not revealing these facts,” referring to the judge’s wife and her Democratic connections.
Tangent
Trump also mentioned the Supreme Court and U.S. Court of International Trade rulings that curbed his tariff policy and ordered repayments to companies impacted by the tariffs. The president said “that is probably why our Country will lose the Birthright Citizenship Case… because our Court System is RIGGED.”
Who Is Amy Jeffress?
Jeffress is a Washington attorney who was hired as Biden’s personal lawyer last year and served as a federal prosecutor and counselor to former Attorney General Eric Holder under the Obama administration. She left the Justice Department in 2014 and has worked in the private sector since, occasionally defending former Trump administration figures targeted by the president such as ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who accused the Trump administration of violating her privacy over leaked text messages disparaging Trump. Jeffress also worked as a legal advisor for the Jan. 6 select committee that investigated the attack on the Capitol and subpoenaed former Trump officials, according to Politico.
Key Background
Trump replaced much of the Kennedy Center’s board with allies last year, bringing in Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles among others. The president blasted the center’s programming, characterizing it as “woke” and saying “some of the shows were terrible” and “a disgrace.” Issa Rae, Shonda Rhimes and other artists cut ties with the center after Trump named himself chairman. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, a Kennedy Center board member, filed the lawsuit at the heart of Cooper’s ruling, arguing Trump could not unilaterally rename the institution without approval from Congress. She told The New York Times she was muted against her will during the board call that led to the renaming approval.
Further Reading
Judge Blocks Trump’s Effort To Rename Kennedy Center After Himself (Forbes)
