President Donald Trump this week quietly appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, one of two federal panels reviewing his plan to build a White House ballroom. One of the new members is James McCrery, an architect who had led the ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year. The White House announced the project last summer and Trump later demolished the East Wing to make room for it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to halt construction until the fine arts panel and a second federal commission give their approval. The names of the new commissioners were revealed in a court filing related to the lawsuit.
