Lawsuit seeks to halt White House UFC event
· Yahoo Sports
A lawsuit seeking to stop UFC Freedom 250, the UFC event to be held at the White House, was filed in federal court in Washington D.C. on June 6.
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The suit, filed by the Public Integrity Project, alleges decisions made by the Department of Interior and the National Park Service permitting the event violated federal law and the Park Service's own regulations.
Those violations include permitting a private sporting event on public property, not seeking Congressional authorization to build the event's stadium and other facilities on federal parkland as well as failing to conduct an environmental review "before undertaking 'major federal action' significantly affecting the quality of the human environment."
The lawsuit states that the event does not qualify under a temporary rule permitting events celebrating America 250 as it is being run by the UFC and not "executive departments and agencies or the Semiquincentennial Commission for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.” It also states that the only special event that can be held at the Lincoln Memorial is a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
"This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the President and his friends," Brendan Ballou, the founder of the anti-corruption law firm, said in a statement accompanying the filing. "If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected. We plan to stop that."
The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to stop the June 14 card, further construction of the structure on the South Lawn and the pre-fight news conference at the Lincoln Memorial on June 12.
A Trump administration official called the lawsuit "obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory" in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC Freedom 250 event