UFC Freedom 250 faces federal lawsuit days before scheduled White House event

With only days left for the event, the White House is facing a legal challenge with regard to the UFC Freedom 250 event scheduled to be held on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. According to a report in Time Magazine, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Virginia residents alleging corruption against the event. The administration has made it clear that the event was in honor of the nation's 250th birthday, despite it being scheduled on Trump's birthday.

The lawsuit questions the involvement of UFC boss Dana White, whom it mentions as a close friend and an ally of the President. "The President is giving White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access," the lawsuit states.

Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, has argued that the event was a "profoundly corrupt scheme," which was only aimed at helping Trump and his associates get richer. "If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected," Ballou said. "The basic question we need to ask as a country is whether we want to use our most sacred national monuments to enrich the President and his allies? We think the question answers itself."

Fortunately for the plaintiffs, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the Federal District Court in Washington has asked the Interior Department to propose a schedule for briefings and a potential hearing on an emergency basis, as per Daily News. The lawsuit also raises questions about President Trump's owning between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, UFC's parent company, when he was promoting the event in March.

That is not all the White House has to worry about. The lawsuit states that the administration had to secure authorization from Congress and a thorough environmental review before building a temporary structure on the South Lawn. None of those conditions were met before construction began. However, the National Park Service amended its regulations for the Capital region to prepare for the 250th anniversary of American independence seamlessly.

However, the lawsuit claims that honoring the country's 250th year of independence was not the main goal of the event. "The event is neither 'for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence' nor, crucially, being 'planned, organized, and executed' by the federal government," it stated. Attorney Ballou questioned the event in a recent interview with journalist Scott McFarlane as well.

"If all of this happens this weekend, these pictures are going into every history textbook for every high school student for future generations to show the corruption that we have gone through. And so, I think it is worth stopping," he said. Ballou also claimed that tickets and sponsorship packages for the event were being sold for as high as $1.5 million per person.