Judge Orders Investigation Into Possible Misconduct by Trump Officials Over Golf Course Dispute

A federal judge has launched a formal investigation into whether Trump administration officials and Justice Department attorneys deceived the court about plans to shut down and redevelop East Potomac Golf Links at Washington, D.C.U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes on Friday said she will appoint a special master to determine whether officials from the Interior and Justice departments made false statements, withheld key information, or otherwise breached professional conduct rules during the ongoing litigation.The investigation follows weeks of mounting tension between Judge Reyes and government attorneys, centered on a sharp contradiction: President Trump announced on October 18 via Truth Social that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf architect Tom Fazio had “developed a plan” for a new championship course, with East Potomac set to close November 15. Yet the very next day, government lawyers told the court no such plan existed.It wasn’t until this week that the administration acknowledged Mr. Trump had directed the Interior and the National Park Service to close the course by November 15.During Friday’s hearing, Judge Reyes confronted an associate attorney general, Stanley Woodward Jr., over the inconsistency, according to the Washington Post.“The third-highest-ranking official at the Department of Justice is telling me, telling a federal court, that he cannot say that when the president posted the course will close on Nov. 15, what he meant was the course would close on Nov. 15,” Judge Reyes said.A Justice Department spokesman responded after the hearing: “The Department of Justice will not be deterred from executing on the President’s agenda,” the Post reported.Judge Reyes, a Biden appointee, also expressed frustration upon learning that government officials had spent weeks preparing a course redesign submission for the National Capital Planning Commission without disclosing it during a lengthy October hearing. “Are you kidding me right now? Seriously, Mr. Woodward. Come on,” she said.The underlying lawsuit, filed by the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers, challenges the administration’s broader redevelopment plan. Tensions escalated after Park Service crews removed more than 400 trees from the site in October without advance notice.Earlier this week, Judge Reyes granted a preliminary injunction barring further tree removal without court approval and requiring notice before any irreversible changes to the park. The administration has appealed that ruling.The dispute has grown increasingly contentious. Justice Department lawyers previously asked Judge Reyes to recuse herself, citing alleged bias — a request she denied. Mr. Trump has publicly criticized Judge Reyes on social media, at one point calling her a “crazed lunatic.”Judge Reyes emphasized that the investigation does not indicate a finding of wrongdoing. “There has been no finding of that,” she said. “That is why we’re conducting an investigation.”The government has five business days to object to Judge Reyes’ choice of special master. If no master is appointed, Judge Reyes said she will conduct the inquiry herself.

Judge Orders Investigation Into Possible Misconduct by Trump Officials Over Golf Course Dispute

Judge Orders Investigation Into Possible Misconduct by Trump Officials Over Golf Course Dispute

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