A federal judge opened a formal investigation Friday into whether Justice Department attorneys and others within the Trump administration misrepresented the president’s plans to renovate a golf course in Washington, DC, ratcheting up a dramatic showdown between the White House and the courts.
In a fiery hearing that lasted nearly three hours, US District Judge Ana C. Reyes pressed Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward on whether the administration had tried to evade the court’s review, including by offering a last-minute notice before felling hundreds of trees at East Potomac Golf Course and by insisting there was no formal plan to renovate the course despite President Donald Trump’s repeated insistence he was moving ahead.
“Let’s not play games anymore, Mr. Woodward,” Reyes, a nominee of former President Joe Biden, said as the third-highest ranking official at the Justice Department stood at the lectern, his hands locked together behind his back.
Highlighting the split priorities of the White House, Woodward appeared at the hearing despite the fact he’s also leading the DOJ’s efforts on the midterm elections , including its unprecedented lawsuit seeking to halt certification in the Alaska Senate race if the GOP incumbent doesn’t win.
At one point, Woodward attempted to explain that he had “endeavored to answer the court’s questions as honestly and effectively as I can” and launched into an argument about why he felt the judge’s questions weren’t relevant to the legal questions in the case.
“Are you done?” Reyes fired back. “Can you answer my question now?”
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In a signal of how the hearing would unfold, Reyes took the bench and began reading from the professional conduct rules for lawyers practicing in Washington, eyeing Woodward directly as she stressed lines concerning making factual assertions in court. The not-subtle implication was that Woodward or other attorneys involved with the case could be sanctioned.
A brutal back-and-forth developed from there, with Reyes leaning into Woodward about how the Justice Department had handled the case. The inquiry, which will likely be handled by a special master appointed by the court, could lead to sanctions. Reyes stressed that she was not finding that DOJ lawyers had misrepresented anything, only that she intended to consider that possibility.
The remarkable exchange underscored that the case was less about the golf course itself, which Trump has said he intends to renovate into a “world class” facility, and more about how the administration has represented itself in court following a challenge from preservationists and golfers who want to keep the course as it is.
Woodward was caught between the judge’s blistering ire and the president, who has frequently taken to social media to claim that the golf course project would begin “immediately” and attack Reyes as a “crazed lunatic.”
Reyes had already blocked further tree removal at the course in a scathing 70-page opinion earlier this week, and she required the Interior Department to notify the court before making any other irreparable changes to the site. That decision is being appealed.
There was audible laughter in the courtroom and snickers as Woodward seemed to try to take back words he had just spoken.
At one point, he seemed to suggest that the sudden removal of more than 400 trees on October 10 was part of a broader plan to update the course — a position the administration had previously denied. At times, Reyes turned to the transcript to read back comments Woodward had made only seconds earlier.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Reyes said.
Reyes has previously expressed deep skepticism that the tree removal was separate from Trump’s stated desire to renovate the course, even though the new course would have a significant reduction in trees.
The judge also ordered the attorneys to retain any documents related to the case.
