Nine Kennedys sue to block Trump's gilded arch
Complaint says 250-foot monument would cast shadow over JFK grave at Arlington, judge has already halted groundbreaking while Trump promises sniper posts and drone storage on the roof
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Trump with a model of his proposed arch, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe, at the White House in October last year. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
theguardian.com
Nine members of the Kennedy family have sued the Trump administration to block a planned 250-foot gilded arch near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing it would "cast a shadow" over the graves of John F. Kennedy, Edward Kennedy, and Robert and Ethel Kennedy. A federal judge had already blocked any groundbreaking for 14 days on November 6.
The arch, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe and topped with a winged figure resembling Lady Liberty, would "obstruct the clear sightline of the Kennedy Gravesites" and "fundamentally alter the experience of visiting" the family's memorial, according to the complaint. It would also block the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, which the filing notes "were designed to face each other to represent national reunification after the Civil War." The lawsuit argues the National Park Service and the interior department authorized construction without the congressional approval the law requires, and asks the court to set the authorization aside. Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy, two of the plaintiffs, said in a statement that a towering arch over the graves of their family and "of so many who have served our country, would also cast a shadow over our democratic principles." The administration's own descriptions of the monument have shifted. Trump has claimed the arch will be converted into a "top-grade military complex" with drone and ammunition storage and customized sniper facilities on the roof and plaza. The Justice Department recently told the court construction would not be completed until after the end of Trump's second term. The arch is one of several projects by which the president is remaking the capital's landscape: he has renovated one of the city's storied public golf courses, threatened to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and signed a proclamation to prevent changes to the gold-covered Oval Office. With Democrats having gained control of Congress, the Washington projects face a new source of scrutiny.
The Justice Department's own filing concedes the arch will still be under construction long after the man it honors has left office.