Judge Opens Formal Ethics Probe Into Trump Administration Lawyers

A federal judge in Washington, DC, opened a formal ethics inquiry into government lawyers handling the East Potomac Golf Links case on Friday. Judge Ana Reyes of the US District Court for the District of Columbia appointed a special master to determine if officials breached professional or ethical obligations. The probe examines whether the administration withheld information or made misleading assertions regarding plans to transform the historic public course.

The inquiry escalates a legal dispute over President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the capital. It follows a series of conflicting statements by administration officials about the renovation. Trump announced on his Truth Social account earlier this month that the course would close for 15 months starting November 15 for a major redevelopment. He stated he commissioned golf course architect Tom Fazio to build a World Class Championship Golf Course on the site.

Government officials from the Interior Department, Justice Department, and National Park Service had previously been unable to confirm the existence or scope of these plans. Reyes questioned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. for more than two hours during the Friday hearing. She repeatedly compared his testimony with the president’s online posts. Reyes also asked if a National Park Service official was instructed to omit details from a court declaration.

The conflict intensified earlier this month after more than 400 trees were removed from the course. Reyes had previously ordered the government to provide advance notice of substantive construction work. She extended her injunction against further irreversible changes to the site. On Wednesday, the Justice Department told the court that the National Park Service would submit Fazio’s design to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday. Justice lawyers had declined to acknowledge any plans until that submission.

The DC Preservation League filed the lawsuit in February, arguing the redevelopment could violate environmental protections and damage a historically significant public space. The case is one of two legal battles unfolding over Trump’s plans for Washington, DC. A separate judge is set to hear a challenge to the White House’s proposed construction of a 75-meter memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

David Super, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, told The Associated Press that the cases reflect a shift in how the administration approaches legal constraints. Super noted that the administration appears to act under the assumption that if federal courts cannot stop them, they can break the law.