On the eve of the 250th birthday of the United States, top officials from the Trump administration were present at a special private party that turned “wild” – thanks partly to a spat between Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and another Trump appointee over Blanche’s sneakers.
According to reporting by the British tabloid Daily Mail, the incident took place during a lively party with the rapper 50 Cent at the Executive Branch, a private club in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. which primarily caters to the “MAGA elite”.
Blanche was reportedly “all smiles”, celebrating his position. “Dressed down slightly in bold sneakers, several event-goers remarked how ‘cool’ it was that Blanche was rocking the casual footwear, easily dancing to 50 Cent’s soundtrack alongside his wife,” the article said. He even had a favorite from the playlist, “Track 3!!”
Lindsey Halligan, a U.S. attorney who previously served as the attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was also present at the party along with her boyfriend. Halligan was ruled to be in that position unlawfully by a circuit court judge, and she would leave the Justice Department soon afterward.
Halligan was reportedly asked about Blanche’s shoes and if they looked cool, leading her to whisper “Maybe,” with a bit of shade. She steered clear of Blanche and his wife the entire evening, but was overheard telling someone that Trump wants to make her “number three” at the DOJ – a role currently filled by Stanley Woodward Jr., who previously represented several defendants involved in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
The event also included several key figures close to President Donald Trump, including his former pick for New Jersey Attorney General and personal lawyer Alina Habba, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Other cabinet members such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz were also in attendance.
The party was off-limits to reporters save for CNN correspondent Alayna Treene who managed to get inside to enjoy the festivities, centered around an ice bar carved in the shape of Mount
Rushmore, with drinks distributed by servers dressed in Revolutionary War attire.
