A federal judge said Saturday she plans to appoint a former top prosecutor to investigate whether government lawyers misled the court in the case over President Donald Trump’s planned renovation of a historic Washington golf course.
US District Judge Ana Reyes named Jessie Liu, who served as US attorney for the District of Columbia from 2017 to 2020, as a special master to examine the conduct of lawyers from the Justice and Interior departments, according to Reuters.
The case centres on the East Potomac Golf Links, a public course along the Potomac River. The DC Preservation League and two golfers sued in February to block the administration’s plan to close the course on November 15 and rebuild it as a championship-level venue.
Reyes said during an October 30 hearing that she was opening a formal investigation after government lawyers told her the renovation would not proceed while her order blocking the project stood, even as Trump said work would begin immediately. The administration later removed more than 400 trees from the park with less than a day’s notice to the court, CNN reported.
Reyes will give both sides until Friday to respond in writing to her plan to appoint Liu. A hearing in the case is set for the same day.
Source: Reuters
