Lawsuit seeks to shut down UFC's White House event over corruption claims

A Washington D.C. federal court became the latest arena for the UFC’s planned White House event on Friday, after the Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit seeking to shut the fight card down before a single punch is thrown.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of two Virginia residents, names Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, NPS National Capital Region Director Jen Nersesian, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and its Secretary Doug Burgum as defendants. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the event unlawful, halt its staging, and order the removal of structures already built on the White House lawn to accommodate the card.

At the heart of the complaint is the allegation that the arrangement between the UFC and the White House is corrupt, citing the personal relationship between President Donald Trump and UFC President and CEO Dana White as a central concern. The suit argues that the President is granting “unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event.”

Attorney Brendan Ballou, representing the Public Integrity Project, issued a statement to the Associated Press laying out the organisation’s motivation.

“This is a fundamentally private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain. And that is what is motivating this lawsuit,” Ballou said.

The legal challenge rests on several specific grounds. The suit contends the event breaches NPS regulations that explicitly prohibit the agency from permitting sporting events “conducted primarily for the material or financial benefit of a for-profit entity.” It further argues that the construction of the UFC stage required congressional approval that was never sought, and that a mandatory environmental impact review for building an arena at that location was not carried out.

The White House responded briefly, dismissing the suit as obstructionism and arguing the UFC show would be “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”