仓促拆除的白宫东翼参与拆迁过程的前官员告诉ABC新闻，这似乎打破了一项长期政策，即要求联邦委员会在拆迁开始前监督和批准华盛顿特区的建设项目。
虽然批准程序植根于联邦法律，并得到了历届政府的遵守，但前官员表示，没有明确的机制(行政或法律)来逆转或停止拆迁，负责批准建设的委员会由特朗普自己任命的人领导。
图像似乎显示，整个白宫东翼在周四被拆除，为特朗普的私人资助让路价值3亿美元的舞厅.
“多年来，许多总统都做出了改变。这显然将是最大的变化，”特朗普周三在椭圆形办公室说。
据一名在总统第一个任期内负责监督项目的前官员称，特朗普的公司和他的第一届政府之前都参与了所需的批准过程，其中包括特朗普组织在2013年至2016年将旧邮局大楼改造成酒店的项目。
以下是围绕该项目的一些主要问题的答案。
什么法律管理DC联邦建筑的建设?
华盛顿特区包括白宫在内的联邦建筑由国家首都规划委员会(NCPC)监管，该委员会是行政部门下属的一个12人机构。
该委员会负责国家首都地区(包括华盛顿特区以及弗吉尼亚州和马里兰州的部分地区)所有联邦政府项目的中央规划。
全国城市规划委员会通过了一项城市综合规划，审查和批准建设项目，并通过了定期改善计划。
根据1952年的《国家资本规划法》建立的国家资本规划委员会的权力后来被其他立法扩大了。该委员会通常由工程师、建筑师和历史保护专家组成，尽管它目前因政府关闭而关闭。
白宫有没有为这个项目寻求批准?
尽管正在拆除，舞厅的计划尚未提交给国家首都规划委员会，尽管一名白宫官员向美国广播公司新闻证实，白宫仍打算向该委员会提交建设计划。
白宫工作人员秘书威尔·沙夫(Will Scharf)目前担任全国政治协商委员会主席，该委员会由特朗普任命的三名成员、联邦机构成员和华盛顿特区代表组成。
沙夫在上个月的一次委员会会议上说:“我知道总统非常重视这个委员会，当时机成熟时，我很高兴我们能在舞厅项目中发挥作用。”
审核流程是怎样的?
根据国家首都规划委员会前主席l . Preston Bryant Jr .的说法，国家首都规划委员会采用三阶段流程来批准项目。
据Bryant说，在项目的早期，处理该建筑的联邦机构——国家公园管理局正在领导舞厅项目——开始分享该建筑的概念，包括大约10%的设计图纸，以进行合作协商。
联邦机构可以在分享大约30%的设计图纸后寻求初步批准，然后在分享大约70%的设计后寻求最终批准。
美术委员会也有权审查哪些建筑项目符合华盛顿特区的“设计和美学”，尽管它没有审批权。
NCPC通常在什么时候参与项目?
据Bryant说，NCPC通常在拆迁开始前批准一个项目。
白宫表示，拆除东翼不需要获得批准，因为建设不同于拆除。
然而，多名前NCPC官员告诉ABC新闻，在拆迁开始前必须获得批准。
“拆除因素是整个项目固有的。演示和构建是分不开的。这是它的一部分，”科比说。“被拆除的东西会影响场地设计，在它的位置上正在建造的东西，视图的变化，等等。”
"在我在NCPC的九年里，我不记得曾经分开过--没有考虑过--什么可能被拆除，什么可能被建造，"科比说。“事实上，一个新建筑项目的某些部分可能值得抢救现有的部分，并将抢救出来的部分纳入新的设计中。”
舞厅项目进展如何?
据白宫称，特朗普已经“与白宫工作人员、国家公园管理局、白宫军事办公室和美国特勤局的成员举行了几次会议，讨论设计特点和规划。”
川普还选择了麦克里建筑师事务所、克拉克建筑公司和AECOM工程公司作为项目负责人。
白宫提供了该项目的一些效果图，但没有提供设计的更多细节。
有人会起诉阻止这个项目吗?
前官员指出，公众和非营利组织成员阻止拆迁的选择有限。
一名官员说，虽然违反《国家资本规划法》的行为可以通过《行政程序法》来追究，但这一策略未经证实，也不清楚非营利组织是否有提起诉讼的资格。
国家历史保护信托基金会(National Trust for historical Preservation)致信白宫，表达了对该项目的担忧，并要求特朗普政府“暂停拆除，直到拟议舞厅的计划通过法律要求的公共审查程序，包括国家首都规划委员会和美术委员会的咨询和审查，并邀请公众发表评论。”
建筑历史学家协会遗产保护委员会主席Priya Jain告诉ABC新闻，她的组织还没有看到任何关于该项目的研究或其他信息。
“我听到总统说，这些研究已经完成，很多建筑师也参与了进来。我认为我们的愿望和目标是能够看到这些研究和审议，这样我们就可以确信，拆除东翼确实是最好的解决方案，”她说。
特朗普知道监督程序吗?
据参与批准过程的前政府官员称，特朗普政府此前曾参与NCPC进程。
一名官员指出，当第一夫人梅兰妮·特朗普在特朗普的第一个任期内在白宫建造一个新的网球场时，国家规划委员会批准了该项目。
当特朗普的公司在他成为总统之前翻修华盛顿特区历史悠久的旧邮局大楼时，特朗普也不得不寻求NCPC的批准把它改造成酒店特朗普集团在2013年签署了大楼租约后。
尽管由私人资金资助，该项目仍然需要国家清洁生产中心的批准。
白宫不是受保护的历史建筑吗?
由于1966年的国家历史保护法案，白宫和总统公园内的所有建筑，包括财政部大楼和旧的行政办公楼，都不受保护典型历史建筑的法律管辖，尽管白宫仍然受1952年的国家资本规划法案管辖。
Could the demolition of the White House's entire East Wing have been stopped?
The rushed demolition of theWhite House's East Wingappears to break a longstanding policy requiring a federal commission to oversee and approve construction projects in Washington, D.C., before demolition begins, former officials involved in the process told ABC News.
While the approval process is rooted in federal law and has been observed by past administrations, former officials said there was no clear mechanism -- administrative or legal -- to reverse or halt the demolition, and the commission tasked with approving the construction is led by Trump's own appointees.
Images appeared to show that the entire White House East Wing had been demolished Thursday to make way for Trump's privately funded$300 million ballroom.
"Over the years, many presidents have made changes. This obviously would be the biggest change," Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
According to one former official who oversaw projects during the president's first term -- as well as the Trump Organization's 2013-16 renovation of the Old Post Office building into a hotel -- both Trump's company and his first administration previously participated in the required approval process.
Here are answers to some of the top questions surrounding the project.
What laws govern the construction of federal buildings in DC?
Construction of federal buildings in D.C. -- including the White House -- is overseen by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a 12-member agency under the executive branch.
The commission handles central planning for any federal government projects in the National Capital Region, including the district, as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland.
The NCPC adopts a comprehensive plan for the city, reviews and approves construction projects and adopts regular improvement plans.
Established under the National Capital Planning Act of 1952, the NCPC's authorities have since been expanded by additional legislation. The commission is typically staffed with engineers, architects and historic preservation specialists, though it is currently closed due to the government shutdown.
Has the White House sought approval for the project?
Plans for the ballroom have not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, despite the demolition taking place, though a White House official confirmed to ABC News that the White House still intends to submit plans for the build to the commission.
Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, currently chairs the NCPC, which is comprised of three Trump appointees, members of federal agencies and D.C. representatives.
"I know the president thinks very highly of this commission, and I'm excited for us to play a role in the ballroom project when the time is appropriate for us to do so," Scharf said at a commission meeting last month.
What is the review process?
According to L. Preston Bryant, Jr., a former chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, the NCPC uses a three-stage process to approve projects.
Early in the project, the federal agency handling the building -- the National Park Service is leading the ballroom project -- begins sharing concepts of the building, including about 10% of the design drawings, for a collaborative consultation process, according to Bryant.
The federal agency can then seek preliminary approval after sharing approximately 30% of the design drawings, followed by final approval after sharing about 70% of the designs.
The Commission of Fine Arts also has authority to review what construction projects match the "design and aesthetics" of Washington, D.C., though it does not have approval power.
When does the NCPC usually get involved in a project?
The NCPC normally approves a project before demolition can begin, according to Bryant.
The White House has suggested that they do not need to seek approval to demolish the East Wing because construction is distinct from demolition.
Multiple former NCPC officials, however, told ABC News that approval must be obtained before demolition can begin.
"The demolition element is inherent in the overall project. Demo is not separated from construction. It's part of it," Bryant said. "What's being demolished impacts the site design, what's being constructed in its place, the change in views, and more."
"In my nine years at NCPC, I don't recall ever separating -- not considering -- what might be demolished from what might be constructed," said Bryant. "Indeed, there may be some parts of a new construction projects that merit salvaging parts of what's currently there and incorporating that salvaged part into the new design."
How far along is the ballroom project?
According to the White House, Trump has held "several meetings with members of the White House Staff, the National Park Service, the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service to discuss design features and planning."
Trump has also selected McCrery Architects, Clark Construction and AECOM engineering as project leads.
The White House has provided some renderings of the project but has provided no further details about the design.
Could anyone have sued to stop the project?
Former officials noted that members of the public and nonprofits groups had limited options to stop the demolition.
While violations of the National Capital Planning Act could have been pursued using the Administrative Procedure Act, the strategy is unproven and it is unclear if nonprofit organizations could demonstrate standing to bring a lawsuit, one official said.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sent a letter to the White House to express concerns about the project and request the Trump administration "pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and to invite comment from the public."
Priya Jain, the Chair of the Heritage Conservation Committee of the Society of Architectural Historians, told ABC News that her organization has not seen any studies or additional information about the project.
"I heard the president talking saying that these studies have been done and a lot of architects have weighed in on it. I think our wish and goal is to be able to see these studies and deliberations, so we can be sure that, indeed, the demolition of the East Wing was the best possible solution," she said.
Is Trump aware of the oversight process?
According to former government officials involved in the approval process, the Trump administration has previously participated in the NCPC process.
When first lady Melania Trump built a new tennis court at the White House during Trump's first term, the NCPC approved the project, one official noted.
Trump similarly had to seek approval from the NCPC when Trump's company, before he become president, renovated the historic Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C., toconvert it into a hotelafter the Trump Organization signed a lease on the building in 2013.
Despite being funded with private funds, the project still required NCPC approval.
Isn’t the White House a protected historical building?
The White House and all buildings in the President's Park, including the Treasury building and the Old Executive Office Building, are exempt from the law that protects typically historic buildings thanks to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, though the White House is still covered by the National Capital Planning Act of 1952.
