White House: Trump wasn’t consulted on 3D-printed guns

WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that the Justice Department did not consult President Donald Trump when officials dropped litigation that would have prevented the posting of instructions on how to make 3D-printed plastic guns, which are illegal to own or assemble.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Justice Department “made a deal without the president’s approval,” referring to a settlement reached by the State Department in June. The State Department acted on the advice of Justice Department lawyers.

Trump has questioned whether his administration should have allowed the plans to be posted online.

The internal rift came after a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday to stop the release of blueprints to make the untraceable and undetectable 3Dprinted plastic guns. The company behind the plans, Austin, Texas-based Defense Distributed, had reached a settlement with the federal government in late June allowing it to make the plans for the guns available for download.

Sanders said the president was “glad this effort was delayed” so he can review the material. Sanders added that the administration supports the longstanding law against owning plastic guns.

The State Department’s initial action triggered an onslaught of criticism about the possible proliferation of potentially lethal 3D-printed weapons.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the State Department got involved in the issue because the online plans can be accessed worldwide.