By Leena Nasir
Democratic Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty was caught in a gaffe after suing President Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees.
Beatty claimed she had been excluded from an upcoming March 16 meeting, where plans to overhaul the Kennedy Center are set to be formalized, The Hill reported.
She filed a lawsuit against the administration, but records later showed she had been invited — the email landed in her spam folder, according to her attorneys.
Beatty filed court documents early in March, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that she had been extended an invitation. Beatty’s counsel later confirmed that the invitation had landed in the congresswoman’s spam folder.
Her lawyers responded by saying, “Plaintiff appreciates Defendants’ confirmation that she can attend the meeting at the White House,” noting that the emailed invite had been located.
They continued to push back against the Trump administration by claiming it “bears emphasis” that the Kennedy Center’s executive director, Richard Grenell, and the organization’s general counsel “ignored her for two days,” according to court documents.
Beatty doubled down by telling reporters her invites to board meetings were typically sent to her official scheduler and chief of staff, but this particular invite was sent to a personal email address before ending up in spam, The Hill reported. (RELATED: Richard Grenell Obliterates Béla Fleck’s Excuse For Bailing On Kennedy Center Performance)
“I doubt there’s a single person here who hasn’t had an email vanished somewhere in a spam filter,” lawyer Norm Eisen told reporters after Thursday’s court hearing.
“But the important thing is the congresswoman checked and they were silent,” Eisen added.
Beatty is an “ex officio” member of the Kennedy Center.
“To be sure, Plaintiff will not be permitted to vote,” DOJ lawyer William Jankowski said, according to The Hill.
“But that is because, under the Center’s bylaws and established procedure, ex officio trustees have no right to vote,” he continued.
Beatty wanted to speak and vote on the Kennedy Center’s renovation. She previously sued Trump and other board members in December over attempts to “rename, shutter and gut” the Kennedy Center, The Hill reported.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper reportedly listened to arguments Thursday over Beatty’s request for a temporary restraining order.
