Trump can abolish national monuments, US Justice Department says


FILE PHOTO: A vehicle rides on a highway past a pair of buttes known as the Bears Ears in Bears Ears National Monument outside Blanding, Utah, U.S., October 22, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump has the power to abolish two national monuments in California established by his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, as well as any others created by past presidents, according to a newly released legal opinion from a key adviser within the U.S. Department of Justice.

The May 27 document, which was released on Tuesday, reversed a 1938 legal opinion and sets the stage for the Republican president to eliminate federal protections for potentially millions of acres of land previously designated as national monuments.

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