Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 8: A US federal judge has said she intends to appoint a former senior federal prosecutor to investigate whether Trump administration officials and government lawyers misled the court over plans to renovate a historic public golf course along the Potomac River in Washington.
US District Judge Ana Reyes said she plans to appoint Jessie Liu, a former US attorney for the District of Columbia, as a special master to examine whether officials from the Interior Department and the National Park Service, along with Department of Justice lawyers, violated ethical standards or deliberately misrepresented information during the proceedings.
The lawsuit was filed in February by the DC Preservation League and two golfers, challenging the administration's plans for the East Potomac Golf Course. The government intends to close the golf course and surrounding park on November 15 to undertake a major renovation and create what it describes as a “World Class, championship-level golf course that is capable of hosting major events.”
Last month, Reyes issued an injunction temporarily preventing the government from removing or damaging any additional trees at the site. The administration has also been directed to provide 10 days' written notice before carrying out any “irreparable modification” to the course's existing features while the lawsuit remains pending.
Reyes has given both sides an opportunity to respond to her proposal to appoint Liu as special master. Their written submissions are due by Friday, when the court is scheduled to hold its next hearing in the dispute.
The judge wants to determine whether federal officials misrepresented the extent of the renovation plans during months of court hearings and whether they were truthful about the steps taken to implement the project, including the cutting of hundreds of trees early last month.
Reyes announced on October 30 that she was initiating a formal investigation into the government's conduct. Earlier in the proceedings, she had rejected several requests from the plaintiffs to intervene, saying she trusted the government's lawyers.
Liu served as the chief federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia during Trump's first presidential term. In that role, she oversaw certain matters referred to her office by then-special counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation into possible links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Trump later nominated Liu to serve as associate attorney general, the third-highest-ranking position in the Department of Justice. However, she withdrew from consideration after facing opposition in the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee over her previous membership in a lawyers' organisation that supported abortion rights.
Liu subsequently resigned from the organisation, saying it had taken left-leaning positions. She is now associated with her own law firm, Liu Shur Kravis LLP.