A US federal judge has announced plans to appoint a former senior federal prosecutor to investigate whether officials in President Donald Trump’s administration deliberately misled the court over plans to renovate a historic golf course in Washington.
US District Judge Ana Reyes said on Saturday that she intends to nominate Jessie Liu, a former US attorney for the District of Columbia, as a special master to examine the conduct of government officials and lawyers involved in the case.
The investigation will focus on whether officials from the Interior Department and the National Park Service, alongside Department of Justice attorneys, breached ethical standards or provided misleading information during court proceedings.
The lawsuit was filed in February by the DC Preservation League and two golfers challenging the administration’s proposed redevelopment of the East Potomac Golf Course, a historic public recreational facility located along the Potomac River.
The Trump administration intends to shut down the golf course and surrounding park on November 15 to carry out a major redevelopment project. The proposed renovation is aimed at creating a “world-class, championship-level golf course that is capable of hosting major events.”
However, Reyes issued an injunction last month prohibiting the government from cutting down or damaging additional trees at the site. The order also requires the administration to provide 10 days’ written notice before undertaking any “irreparable modification” to the course’s existing features while the legal dispute remains unresolved.
The judge has invited both parties to submit their positions on her proposed appointment of Liu as special master. Their responses are expected by Friday, when another hearing has been scheduled.
Reyes wants the investigation to establish whether government representatives were truthful about the scope of the renovation plans during several months of court proceedings.
She is particularly interested in determining whether officials accurately explained the actions taken at the golf course, including the removal of hundreds of trees early last month.
The judge announced on October 30 that she was launching a formal inquiry into the government’s handling of the matter. This followed several earlier hearings during which she had rejected requests from the plaintiffs to intervene, explaining that she trusted the Justice Department lawyers representing the administration.
Liu previously served as the district’s chief federal prosecutor during Trump’s first presidential term. In that capacity, she supervised several matters referred to her office by former special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into possible connections between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Trump later nominated Liu for the position of associate attorney general, the Justice Department’s third-highest-ranking office.
However, she withdrew from the confirmation process after encountering opposition from members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee over her previous membership in a lawyers’ organisation that supported abortion rights.
Liu subsequently left the organisation, explaining at the time that it had adopted left-leaning positions. She currently works at her own law firm, Liu Shur Kravis LLP.
Commenting on the judge’s decision, David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said a formal judicial investigation into the conduct of individuals involved in a case could be an early indication of possible contempt proceedings.
He explained that such an investigation “can be a precursor to holding someone in contempt of court.”
Super added that the move reflected Reyes’ difficulty in establishing who authorised the tree removal despite assurances previously given by Justice Department lawyers.
According to him, appointing a special master would help narrow the investigation and reduce the need for lengthy and complicated court hearings.
The October 30 hearing was scheduled after Trump made several announcements on his Truth Social platform indicating that renovation plans for the golf course were moving forward, with construction expected to begin on November 15.
The president also disclosed that the park would remain closed for 15 months while the project was underway.
Trump’s social media posts, which began on October 18, created tension during subsequent court proceedings as administration officials repeatedly struggled to confirm the existence and details of the renovation plans under questioning from Reyes.
At one point, the judge questioned which officials she could rely on for accurate information. The Justice Department eventually filed a notice on October 28 confirming that the plans were genuine.
