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By Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — A Secret Service official involved in the construction of President Donald Trump’s massive new White House ballroom said Monday that any temporary pause on the project could hamper the agency’s ability to carry out its protective mission.

The warning – made in a sworn statement by USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn – comes a day before a federal judge in Washington, DC, is set hold an emergency hearing to consider whether to order the White House to pause work on the ballroom pending a lawsuit challenging how the project has unfolded thus far.

Quinn, who oversees USSS’ role in the ballroom project, said a contractor involved in the construction is still working to provide temporary security and safety measures around the site and that “any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled … and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission.”

The lawsuit filed last week by the nation’s top historic preservation group claims Trump is pursuing the project unlawfully because he hasn’t gotten approval from Congress or submitted his plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts for review, which would give the public a chance to weigh in.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, to issue a temporary restraining order that would pause any further work on the ballroom until Congress authorizes it, the commissions review it and environmental assessments are completed.

In a separate sworn statement filed by the government in the case on Monday, an official with the National Park Service, which is a named defendant in the case, revealed that above-ground work on the ballroom would not begin until at least April and said that efforts were underway for the White House to coordinate with the pair of commissions.

That official, John Stanwich, noted that the Commission on Fine Arts does not currently have a quorum but that “plans are underway to appoint new members” to it. The White House fired all six members of the commission in October, CNN previously reported, amid Trump’s push to impose his style on the nation’s capital through a slate of construction projects, including the ballroom.

The declaration

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By Annie Grayer, CNN

(CNN) — The House Oversight Committee is offering former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton new deposition dates in January as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – and threatening the possibility of contempt proceedings if they do not comply.

In a letter obtained by CNN, Chairman James Comer writes that the Clintons’ did not provide sufficient justification to forego in-person depositions, even though the panel has allowed some other individuals who have been subpoenaed to provide written statements in lieu of appearing in person before the committee.

The letter states that those individuals either “lacked any relevant information” to the investigation or had “serious health issues” preventing their testimony.

“Your clients are not similarly situated and therefore your argument that they are receiving unfair treatment—which you continue to repeat—is baseless. For example, unlike these other individuals, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton had a personal relationship with Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Comer wrote.

Comer stated that the panel is now offering January 13 and 14 as new deposition dates for the former president and former secretary of state, respectively, as part of an ongoing negotiation and in a final attempt to avoid contempt of Congress proceedings. Comer had initially scheduled depositions for the pair this week and said the Clintons’ attorney shared the couple could not attend those dates due to a funeral but did not offer alternatives.

CNN has reached out to a legal representative for the Clintons regarding the letter.

The Clintons were first subpoenaed in August and have been going back-and-forth with the Republican-led panel over their interviews.

On Friday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos from Epstein’s estate showing the many powerful figures in the late sex offender’s orbit, including Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein before his arrest on federal charges in 2019 and didn’t know about his crimes.

None of the images released last week depict any sexual misconduct nor are they believed to depict underage girls. It was not immediately clear when or where they were taken, or by whom.

The-CNN-Wire
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