Judge Orders Inquiry of Whether Trump Administration Misled the Court in Golf Course Case

US District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered an inquiry in Washington DC on Friday, 30 October, into whether Trump administration officials and Justice Department lawyers misled the court about the East Potomac golf course.

The case began in February, when the DC Preservation League and two local golfers sued to halt the administration's proposed redevelopment of the municipal course.

On Monday, Reyes barred further tree removal without court approval and required 10 days' written notice before closing the course or making irreversible changes. The order followed the removal of more than 400 trees earlier in October.

The inquiry concerns what the government communicated during the proceedings. It does not establish that officials or lawyers misled the court.

Trump's Closure Announcement Draws Scrutiny

At issue is the difference between Trump's public announcement and the position government lawyers presented a day later. In a Truth Social post on 18 October, the president outlined plans for a new course at East Potomac Park and announced that the existing facility would close on 15 November.

During a seven-hour hearing on 19 October, government lawyers told Reyes there was no plan to close the course.

Reyes opened Friday's hearing by reading from DC Bar Rule of Professional Conduct 3.3, which prohibits lawyers from knowingly making false statements to a court or failing to correct earlier false statements.

She accused Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. of playing 'games' with language when he sought to distinguish Trump's public statements from the government's position in court.

'We played games on Oct. 19,' Reyes told Woodward. 'We're not doing it today.'

Court Examines Planning Behind Trump Golf Project

The questions extended beyond the closure announcement to preparations for a planning submission. Government lawyers said a rendering of the proposed course was submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission for review on Friday, 30 October, after preparations stretching back several weeks.

Reyes challenged why that work had not been mentioned during the lengthy hearing on 19 October. Her questioning focused on information about the submission that had not been disclosed, alongside the government's statements about closing the course.

'Are you telling the court that there has been, in the works, a submission to send these plans to the National Capital Planning Commission for weeks, and no one — no one — mentioned that on Oct. 19 in a seven-hour hearing?' Reyes questioned.

Woodward responded that he did not remember being questioned about such a submission.

'Are you kidding me right now? Seriously, Mr. Woodward. Come on,' Reyes replied.

The hearing also included a dispute over the word 'involved'. Reyes consulted a dictionary for its definition after another government lawyer declined to answer one of her questions.

Trump Challenges Order Halting Course Work

The scrutiny follows Reyes's injunction protecting the course, which forms part of a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Trump responded to the restriction in a late-night Truth Social post that week, portraying the facility as unsafe and blaming the judge for any injuries that might occur there.

He claimed she would be 'fully responsible for anybody who is hurt, or killed, on this very dangerous, dilapidated, and unsightly Golf Course.'

The golf course project is part of Trump's wider efforts to reshape Washington DC. His other projects include the demolition of the East Wing for a ballroom, paving over the Rose Garden and renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.