The Supreme Court voted 5-4 Monday to allow construction of President Trump's White House ballroom to resume, drawing sharp criticism from one of the president's own former attorneys.
Ty Cobb, who served as White House lawyer during Trump's first term, told CNN's OutFront that the renovation project is turning the building into "some combination of a whorehouse and Las Vegas."
"It's turning into some combination of a whorehouse and Las Vegas at this stage of the game with all the golden paving of it," Cobb said. "So, it's tragic what's going on. But sadly, it's gonna continue, at least for the time being."
Cobb's remarks targeted not just the project itself but Chief Justice John Roberts' dissent from the majority decision. Roberts wrote that "The White House is an iconic American building whose symbolism and history are wrapped up in its architecture." Host Erin Burnett pressed Cobb on whether Roberts' language went beyond legal argument.
"I mean, it certainly touched me because, as somebody who had spent a lot of time in the White House and in or about the grounds, you know, it was a beautiful setting and a historic setting," Cobb said.
The dissent marks an unusual moment: a sitting chief justice using a court opinion to weigh in on the symbolic character of the White House itself, not merely the legal question of whether construction can proceed. Roberts sided with the minority that would have blocked the project.
Cobb served in the Trump White House during the first term and was among the lawyers handling matters connected to the Russia investigation before departing in 2018. He has since become one of the more outspoken critics of the president among former administration insiders.
The White House did not respond publicly to Cobb's remarks. The administration has pursued the ballroom project as part of broader renovations to the executive mansion.
