Logged trees are seen at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC, on October 10, 2026. The National Park Service acknowledged in a filing that it has marked more than 500 trees for removal as the Trump administration considers golf course renovations.
Aaron Schwartz | Getty Images
A federal judge said Saturday that he intends to appoint a former federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital during President Donald Trump’s first term to investigate whether she was intentionally misled by lawyers and administration officials in a lawsuit challenging the renovation of a historic public golf course along the Potomac River, one of the president’s prized Washington construction projects.
Jesse Liu, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, will investigate whether officials from the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, as well as attorneys from the Department of Justice, violated ethics or misled U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes during the course of a lawsuit filed in February by the D.C. Conservation League and two golfers.
The Republican administration plans to close the East Potomac Golf Course and parking lot on Nov. 15 in hopes of building a “world-class, championship-level golf course capable of hosting major events.” The injunction issued by Reyes last month temporarily prohibits the government from removing or damaging additional trees on the course, and requires the administration to provide 10 days’ written notice before making any “irreparable changes” to the course’s “shape or character” while the lawsuit is pending.
Reyes is giving both sides a chance to be heard on his plan to name Liu the special presiding judge in the case. They must do so in writing by Friday, when the next court hearing in the dispute is scheduled.
Reyes, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, wants to know whether federal officials lied about the scope of the renovation project during months of hearings. She also wants to know if it’s true about the various measures they took, including cutting down hundreds of trees early last month. She announced at an Oct. 30 hearing that she would launch a formal investigation into the government’s conduct. At the beginning of the case, she rejected numerous motions to intervene from the plaintiffs, saying she trusted government lawyers.
As the city’s chief federal prosecutor, Liu oversaw some of the matters referred to her office by then-special counsel Robert Mueller during the 2016 investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. President Trump later nominated her to be assistant attorney general, the third-highest position in the Justice Department.
Lieu withdrew from consideration on the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee after facing opposition because of his past membership in a group of lawyers who have supported abortion rights. She eventually left the group because, as she previously said, it took a left-leaning stance, and is now part of her own law firm, Rieux Sur Kravis.
David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said a judge opening a formal investigation into the conduct of a trial participant “could be a precursor to holding someone in contempt of court.”
Super said it was also a reflection of her difficulty in determining who initiated the logging, “despite the assurances provided by the Department of Justice. She does not have time to pursue a long and complex hearing, so she wants a special master to narrow the matter down.”
Reyes ordered an Oct. 30 hearing after Trump indicated in multiple Truth social posts that planning and construction of the golf course was scheduled to begin Nov. 15. Trump said the park would be closed for 15 months while construction takes place.
The presidential post, which began on October 18, created a tense dynamic as administration officials were unable to confirm the existence of a plan during cross-examination of Mr. Reyes in multiple subsequent court hearings. She finally asked who to believe. The Department of Justice filed a notification on October 28 that the plan is a reality.
