White House Invokes Executive Privilege in Kennedy Center Lawsuit
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A White House lawyer said President Donald Trump has formally invoked executive privilege to block a congressional inquiry into his management of the Kennedy Center.
President Donald Trump, through deputy assistant counsel Joshua Hoyt, formally invoked the presidential communications privilege in a filing Wednesday, seeking to keep information, documents and communications about his role at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts confidential. The move aims to limit the discovery requests of Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who is suing over Trump’s efforts to place his name on the Center’s façade and his directive to close the venue for two years for renovations.
"Donald Trump appointed himself as chair of the non-profit board of the Kennedy Center, and is now trying to shield his management by improperly invoking executive privilege," said attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky.
The Justice Department argued that Trump’s involvement with the Center is part of his official duties, noting that the President appoints board members and that the privilege covers communications between the President, his advisors and Center staff. Beatty’s lawyers countered that the Kennedy Center is a congressional entity, not an executive agency, and that the privilege should not apply to trustee functions.
The dispute follows earlier court rulings that allowed Beatty’s team to obtain certain records, including a photograph of Trump on Air Force One viewing a poster that read “Kennedy Center DEMOLISH.” The case remains pending before U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.