Overview
- The administration has demolished the East Wing to make room for a large ballroom, with an unnamed White House official telling NBC News the entire wing will be rebuilt.
- Reporting describes the project as a roughly $300 million makeover that proceeded without public approvals from Congress or the National Capital Planning Commission.
- On Thursday, President Trump granted clemency to Changpeng Zhao, who had pleaded guilty to violating anti–money laundering laws tied to criminal activity on his crypto exchange.
- Psaki, on her MSNBC program, criticized the teardown and the pardon as examples of power projection and corruption, calling the remodel gaudy and unnecessary.
- Coverage noted that Binance had campaigned for a pardon and was linked to investments in the Trump family’s crypto venture, while Trump brushed off questions by downplaying Zhao’s guilt.