A federal judge in Washington opened a formal ethics investigation into government attorneys handling the disputed redevelopment of East Potomac Golf Links, intensifying a bitter legal standoff over President Donald Trump's plans to overhaul the historic public course.
The order landed abruptly. US District Judge Ana Reyes named Jessie Liu, a former US attorney for the District of Columbia, as an independent special master to examine whether lawyers representing the Justice and Interior departments misled the court about the administration's construction timelines. The inquiry follows an October 30 hearing where Reyes flagged stark contradictions between government attorneys' courtroom assurances and Trump's public declarations that ground work would start without delay. Over 400 trees have already been felled at the riverside park.
Reyes had previously issued a temporary injunction barring federal agencies from felling additional trees across the property. That order mandated a strict 10-day advance notice before any irreversible physical changes could take place. Yet work continued, prompting conservation advocates to challenge the government's compliance with judicial mandates.
East Potomac Park occupies prime public land along the Potomac River. The administration scheduled a total shutdown of the golf course and park grounds for November 15, seeking to build what it describes as a championship-level venue tailored for premier professional tournaments. Local preservationists moved quickly to stop the bulldozers. In February, the DC Preservation League joined two Washington residents in filing a federal lawsuit, alleging the redevelopment violates federal environmental statutes and congressional protections governing historic capital parklands.
The Interior Department pushed back hard against the court's scrutiny. Agency officials accused Reyes of political bias, claiming the judicial intervention directly obstructs executive efforts to enhance the capital's public infrastructure.
The appointment of Liu carries heavy legal firepower. As the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia during Trump's first presidential term, Liu directed high-profile prosecutions referred from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry, including the conviction of political adviser Roger Stone. Her new mandate empowers her to scrutinize actions taken by lawyers and officials across the Justice Department, the Interior Department, and the National Park Service—a process legal analysts note can lay the groundwork for formal contempt-of-court proceedings if evidence demonstrates willful deception.
Both legal teams must now submit written briefs on Liu's appointment before the court convenes for its next formal hearing.