\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON — <\/span>President Donald Trump<\/a> this week quietly appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, one of two federal panels<\/a> reviewing his plan to build a White House ballroom.<\/p>\n One of the four is James McCrery<\/a>, an architect who had led the now $400 million ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year<\/a>. McCrery also served on the commission during Trump’s first term as president. <\/p>\n The White House announced the project last summer and Trump later demolished the East Wing to make room for the ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation<\/a> has sued in federal court to halt construction until the fine arts panel and a second federal commission give their approval.<\/p>\n The four new members were revealed in court papers filed Thursday by a White House official as part of that lawsuit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The commission, which normally has seven members, has been vacant for months. Trump dismissed six commissioners last fall after the East Wing was demolished. A seventh commissioner, who was the panel\u2019s chair, resigned after Trump took office last year because their term had expired.<\/p>\n The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accused the Trump administration of violating federal laws<\/a> by starting the project before submitting it for independent reviews by the commissions and Congress, as well as the public.<\/p>\n The three remaining members appointed by Trump to the Commission of Fine Arts are: Mary Anne Carter of Tennessee; Roger Kimball of Connecticut; and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n The National Capital Planning Commission, the second federal panel with oversight of construction on federal land, including the White House grounds, heard an initial presentation about the ballroom<\/a> at its meeting on Jan. 8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n