Judge Orders DOJ Official Back to Court Over Trump's Golf Course Remarks

A federal judge has ordered an official from the Department of Justice to appear in court to clarify statements about the East Potomac Golf Course, after President Donald Trump posted on social media that the course would close for renovations, contradicting earlier assertions made by administration representatives.

District Judge Ana Reyes directed Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to explain whether his previous assurances to the court that the course would not close remain accurate. Reyes is expected to question the government about its compliance with an injunction that prohibits further construction at the course.

Reyes issued a strongly worded 70-page ruling criticizing the Trump administration's plans for the historic Washington, D.C., golf course, concluding that the administration likely violated environmental laws. She noted the unusual situation where the Justice Department was seemingly at odds with the President's public statements.

"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President," Reyes wrote. "Not to believe him that a cabinet secretary has 'developed' a federal land project. Not to believe him that the secretary's agency will destroy a historic golf course already on the land. Not to believe him that 'Restoration work' will begin 'IMMEDIATELY!' Not to believe him that the course 'will be closed' for over a year. Not to believe what the President has repeatedly told the American public. And yet, here we are."

The case, which began concerning golf and walking paths, has evolved into an effort to reconcile sworn statements from administration members with Trump's own declarations. Reyes mandated that the administration provide ten business days' written notice before undertaking any irreversible modifications to East Potomac Park, pending the litigation's outcome.

Hours before a hearing was scheduled to begin, Trump announced on social media that construction at the East Potomac Golf Course would commence immediately. This announcement came despite the administration's previous representations to the court that no such immediate closure was planned.

"If, as DOJ insists, President Trump is wrong, Secretary Burgum can just say so," Reyes wrote. "He has not. That said, at this juncture Plaintiffs carry the burden of showing a final plan likely exists. They have done so. This is confirmed not just by the President's and Secretary's many posts, but also by the Government's actions, not the least of which is the removal of hundreds of healthy, non-invasive trees on no real notice."

The removal of trees, which had been planned for the week prior, occurred with what Reyes determined to be insufficient notice for those involved in the lawsuit to intervene. The administration also likely violated environmental laws, specifically the National Environmental Policy Act, by improperly segmenting the environmental impacts of the construction.

Trump stated his administration would appeal the ruling, asserting his intention to proceed with closing the course on November 15 to begin the renovation project. "We are closing the East Potomac Golf Course Site as scheduled on November 15th in order to renovate and rebuild for Competitive (with other such projects!), Safety, Modernization, and Aesthetic reasons," Trump posted on his social media platform.

He characterized the judge's request for updates as "unconstitutional" and declared, "We believe this Project is totally 'as of right,' and that the judge does not have the Constitutional Right to 'ask for or receive notices,' which are time-consuming, unnecessary, expensive, and unconstitutional. We will immediately appeal this decision."

During a press briefing on Monday evening, Trump also claimed he had authorization to proceed with the renovations and criticized the judge's involvement, calling her an "architectural critic of golf courses." He maintained that the project has a "go-ahead" and that the current public course is "extremely dangerous to play" due to its layout, adding that he was seeking an "immediate remedy" from the D.C. Circuit Court.