Federal prosecutor to probe whether Trump officials misled court in golf course case

Judge considers special master

A special master could help narrow the issues in the dispute. The article reports that Reyes had difficulty determining who initiated tree-cutting despite assurances from the Justice Department, and lacked time for repeated long hearings.

Golf course redevelopment dispute

The lawsuit concerns plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Course, a historic public course along the Potomac River. The administration plans to close the course and park land on Nov. 15 to build what it describes as a championship-level course capable of hosting major events.

Questions over project plans

The article says presidential posts began Oct. 18 and that, during later court sessions, administration officials could not confirm the plans existed when Reyes questioned them. On Oct. 28, the Justice Department filed notice acknowledging that the redevelopment plans were real.

Reyes eventually questioned whom she could trust, according to the article. The proposed investigation would examine whether officials or attorneys deliberately misled the court during the lawsuit.

Liu’s public service background

Liu previously served as the city’s chief federal prosecutor and oversaw matters referred to her office by then-special counsel Robert Mueller. Those matters were part of Mueller’s investigation into potential ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.

Trump later nominated Liu for associate attorney general, the Justice Department’s third-highest-ranking job. She withdrew after Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee opposed her past membership in a legal association supporting abortion rights. Liu later resigned from the organization and is now a partner at Liu Shur Kravis LLP.