Fact Check: Did a Justice Department attorney say the government could 'bulldoze' Statue of Liberty?
WASHINGTON, DC: A claim has been circulating on social media platforms that an attorney from the Department of Justice said that the government could bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and not be subject to legal challenges, sparking concerns and speculations. Let us analyze the origins of the viral claim and fact-check it.
Claim: DOJ attorney said government could 'bulldoze' the Statue of Liberty
According to the claim, an attorney representing the Justice Department told a judge that the government could hypothetically "bulldoze" the Statue of Liberty and "no one would have standing to sue over the changes once the demolition is done."
The claim has sparked questions and outrage against the Trump administration amid controversy over the construction of a ballroom at the White House, a pet project that President Donald Trump has prioritized despite a lack of approval from Congress and a lawsuit trying to stop it.
Some even interpreted the claim as Trump sending his lawyers to claim the right to bulldoze the monument. While the outrage suggests that many believe the claim is real, a few others remain skeptical and dismiss it as fake.
Fact Check: The claim is true but misses an important context
Although the claim is true, a crucial context is missing from many interpretations of it.
The claim surfaced following an exchange between the principal deputy assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, Yaakov M. Roth, in which he answered a hypothetical question from Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Millett.
Also, Trump did not send his lawyers to declare they had the right to bulldoze the statue. Instead, the exchange took place during oral arguments on an appeal challenging the court's injunction related to the ballroom project.
According to a report by The Associated Press, the session was "centered on who has standing to challenge government steps once they have already been taken and whether that standing overrides national security."
The appeal stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, objecting to the demolition of the White House's East Wing as part of Trump's ballroom project.
