Hundreds of trees cut as judge taps lawyer to investigate trump administration conduct in golf course case

Liu proposed for review

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said Saturday she intends to name Jessie Liu as a special master to investigate the government’s conduct. Liu previously served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Reyes is asking both sides to respond in writing by Friday, the date of the next hearing. She wants Liu to assess whether Interior Department and National Park Service officials, along with Justice Department lawyers, breached ethics rules or misled the court.

Dispute over course plans

An injunction issued last month bars the government temporarily from removing or damaging more trees. While the lawsuit continues, the administration must provide 10 days’ written notice before making an “irreparable modification” to any “forms or features” of the course.

Questions about government statements

Reyes wants to determine whether officials accurately described the renovation plans during months of hearings and whether they were truthful about actions such as cutting hundreds of trees early last month. She announced a formal investigation at an Oct. 30 hearing, after previously rejecting several requests by plaintiffs to intervene and saying she trusted government attorneys.

Trump’s Truth Social posts beginning Oct. 18 said the project was planned and construction was expected to start Nov. 15. He said the park would close for 15 months. Officials could not confirm the plans when questioned in court, and the Justice Department filed notice on Oct. 28 that they were real.

Possible legal consequences

Trump later nominated Liu for associate attorney general, but she withdrew after opposition on the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee over her membership in a lawyers’ group that supported abortion rights. Liu said she left the group because it took left-leaning positions; she now belongs to her own firm, Liu Shur Kravis LLP.