The coppery scent of a autumn morning hangs heavy over the nation's capital as the Kennedy family's battle with the Trump administration reaches a fever pitch. In a motion filed with the U.S. District Court earlier this week, nine members of the Kennedy clan asked Judge Tanya Chutkan to block the construction of a 250ft-tall memorial arch, arguing that the structure would cast a shadow over their relatives' burial site at Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch, proponents claim, would "fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the gravesites," disrupting the solemn and sacred memorial to the legacy of the Kennedy family. The family members, children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, the brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, are seeking to intervene in two existing lawsuits seeking to block the construction of the arch.
The request comes as a U.S. District Court judge has prohibited the Trump administration from breaking ground on the structure for 14 days, following a motion filed by the Kennedy family. In response, the White House launched a new website reframing the arch as a memorial to U.S. military history, an effort to rebrand the project and distance it from the Kennedy family's concerns.
The trio of memorials, including the grave of John F. Kennedy, are a major draw for the millions of people who visit Arlington National Cemetery each year. If the arch were to be built, the Kennedy offspring would no longer be able to appreciate both sites as they always have before, and as the Kennedy family always intended, according to their lawyers.
The family is represented by veteran Washington lawyer Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund. "It is unfortunate to see that some members of the Kennedy family have joined the litigation against the Arch as the project is intended to honor our heroes who rest in Arlington Cemetery," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle. "The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's health and human services secretary, who has a fractured relationship with many of his relatives, did not join the lawsuit. The website for the arch describes it as "an American vision finally realized," offering numerous views of the proposed design, including inscriptions that include "One Nation Under God" on one side and "Golden Age of America" on another.
The website also features towering gold doors complete with panels of sculptures at its base and a golden cherub at the top. However, the website does not list a budget or disclose how the project will be paid for, although some estimates have reached as high as $100 million.
In a separate development, Trump last week touted his efforts to revamp the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool in his final remarks before the midterm elections. On Wednesday, he guided reporters on a tour of the White House ballroom's construction site. Following his party's loss of control of Congress, Trump declared the Oval Office would become a national monument.
The battle over the memorial arch serves as a stark reminder of the deep divisions within the Kennedy family and the ongoing struggle for power and control within the nation's capital. As the debate rages on, it remains to be seen whether the arch will rise above the controversy, or whether it will become another casualty of the bitter political landscape.
Written by: Sierra Jones | The Citizen Edition
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