The Trump administration's legal arguments for why federal courts should not interfere in the controversial UFC fight set to take place on the White House lawn were derided as ridiculous by former White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen on MS NOW's "Deadline: White House" Wednesday.
The match, part of Trump's series of events ostensibly celebrating America's 250th anniversary, has come under fire as an event that Trump has a personal financial stake in and stands to profit massively from. Veterans in Washington, D.C. are currently suing to stop it.
Anchor Nicolle Wallace cited the key argument from Justice Department lawyers that "final weight cutting is already underway" for 14 fighters, and a delay "could jeopardize the health of the 14 professional athletes involved in the event."
Eisen wasn't having it.
"First of all,the arguments that they'remaking are so ludicrous," said Eisen, who also worked on Trump impeachment litigation. "Why isthe United States Department of Justice making arguments aboutthese fighters? Would they behealthier if, after losing allthat weight, they didn't getinto that ring?"
Ultimately, he said, the arena being erected next to the White House is "a symbol of the way he'sdefaced Washington, D.C. It'slike a graffiti artist run amokin our city," similar to Trump illegally putting his name on the Kennedy Center. "The ring has to come down thesame way."
"Donald Trump is in a steel cagematch with the American people," Eisen added. "He is battering them in thepocketbook because, as youpointed out, this stuff is notfree. When he does his $1.8billion slush fund, it comesout of all of our pockets. It'sthe same with all of theseoutrageous projects, and Ithink the people are sick of it."