Trump says 'existing structure' of White House East Wing to be torn down

The US president previously said that his $250m (£186m) ballroom addition would not "interfere with the current building".

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Crews began demolishing parts of the structure on Monday, and two administration officials earlier told the BBC's US partner CBS that it will be completely torn down by the weekend.

It marks a significant expansion of the construction project announced over the summer. Trump previously said his ballroom addition would not "interfere with the current building".

He rejected accusations he had not been transparent over the extent of the works, telling reporters on Wednesday: "I think we've been more transparent than anyone's ever been."

But criticism from opposition politicians has intensified as the scale of the works comes into focus. Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have now written to the president, raising their own transparency concerns and requesting a range of documents that relate to the demolition.