Attorney General Todd Blanche scolded Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for his comments on Tuesday, saying the White House ballroom ordered to be constructed by President Donald Trump will be “blown up” in an “official ceremony” in the future. Krasner said he would keep some of the debris from the hypothetical explosion as a paperweight on his desk. During an appearance on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom, Blanche called Krasner’s remarks “disgusting” and suggested he worry about his city’s problems rather than the White House ballroom.
“It’s disgusting that a district attorney in Philadelphia, who, by the way … has its own problems, is so focused on what the president is doing in the White House,” Blanche said.
After mentioning that ballroom construction is continuing, and explaining some of the purposes that the ballroom will serve. He also detailed several of the security measures, calling it a “safe and secure place for the president and his family and world leaders.”
During a press conference at the controversial slavery exhibit at the President’s House site at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, Krasner said there would be an “official ceremony” in which the White House ballroom was going to be blown up. Krasner made remarks while attending a commemoration event for the city’s 24th annual slavery commiseration ceremony on Tuesday.
“I’m gonna have a paperweight sitting on my desk,” Krasner said. “You know what that paperweight is gonna be? It’s gonna be a piece of a ballroom after we all blow it up. That’s what it’s gonna be.”
“Just so we’re clear, in an official ceremony, we’re gonna blow it up, and we’re going to give the taxpayers their money back by selling old pieces as paper weights,” Krasner said. “And I will have one on my desk.”
Blanche returned to criticizing Krasner, citing the city’s troubling history of violent crimes.
“The fact that you even have a local district attorney, instead of focusing on his own city’s problems, his own city’s crimes, talk about “blowing it up,” is reflective of how divisive and unfortunate the Democrats have made this issue.”
“We’re going to continue to build the ballroom,” Blanche said. “President Trump has promised that to the American people, and we’re going to continue to back him up in court to make sure that it can get built.”