Judge Reyes Orders Inquiry Into DOJ Conduct Over East Potomac Golf Course Statements

Washington's municipal golf course operations are facing scrutiny as a federal judge opens a formal inquiry into whether government attorneys misrepresented the status of renovation plans for East Potomac Park. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes announced Friday that she will examine whether Justice Department and agency lawyers violated professional conduct rules by telling the court no final plan existed while preparations for the project were underway. The hearing marked the third the judge has convened in as many weeks regarding the dispute over the golf course and surrounding parkland.

Reyes said the inquiry would determine whether officials made false statements to the court or failed to correct earlier assertions. She stated that the probe does not indicate a finding that government lawyers violated their obligations, but the investigation may be assigned to a special master with full investigatory powers. If the government rejects that appointment, Reyes said she would conduct the inquiry herself. She also ordered the preservation of all relevant documents so the court can proceed without the loss of evidence.

The inquiry follows a Justice Department filing Wednesday acknowledging that the administration will close East Potomac Park south of Buckeye Drive, including the golf course, and that plans for the project were submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission. The National Park Service entered a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, which operates the golf course, and the organization will cease operations at East Potomac as of close of business on or before November 15. The National Links Trust will continue to operate the city's other two municipal golf courses under a 50-year lease.

During Friday's hearing, Reyes quoted District of Columbia Bar Rule of Professional Conduct 3.3, which prohibits lawyers from knowingly making false statements to the court, and asked Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. whether he wanted to correct any prior statements. Woodward replied, "Not to my knowledge," explaining that he has not read every transcript in the case. Reyes questioned Woodward for four hours about the timing and status of the renovation plans and whether officials were untruthful when they told her they were unaware of the park closure Trump posted about that morning. She said the inquiry may be led by a special master with full investigatory powers whom she has not appointed.

The government has stated that the closure is required because of a deteriorated seawall that is crumbling into the Potomac River. Jessica Bowron, acting director of the National Park Service, said in a declaration that century-old seawalls have been compromised over time, leaving large sections of the sidewalk adjacent to the seawall underwater twice daily. Woodward told the court that seawall repairs would cost between $150 million and $400 million, but he did not provide a figure for the overall golf course renovations. The National Park Service said it documented deteriorating conditions in reports and photographs as recently as mid-September.

The dispute intensified earlier this month when the administration cut down hundreds of trees with less than a day's notice. Reyes halted further tree-clearing and ordered the government to provide 10 days' written notice before closing or irreversibly modifying the park, and the administration appealed that ruling. She issued a 70-page opinion stating that the case had become about much more than golf. Following that ruling, Trump posted on Truth Social that Reyes has absolutely no right to hold up the project. Reyes subsequently scheduled Friday's hearing and directed Woodward to state whether the government continues to maintain that no final plan exists.