Judge Reyes Grills Interior Officials on Trump's East Potomac Golf Plan, Issues No Ruling After Monday Hearing

Since the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers sued in February, the fight over East Potomac Golf Links has grown from a dispute over environmental paperwork into a direct clash between a federal judge, the Justice Department and the president.

Monday's evidence hearing in Washington, Oct. 19, was the sharpest yet. It ended without a ruling.

The president's post versus the government's filings

On Sunday, Oct. 18, Trump announced on Truth Social that the Interior Department, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, had developed a plan with golf architect Tom Fazio to turn the site into a championship course. He said the existing course would close Nov. 15, when work would begin, and that the new course would open to the public in about 15 months.

Trump said the design would be able to host events such as the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. He said the USGA, PGA of America and PGA Tour had been notified. His announcement did not identify any tournament commitments.

Government lawyers had told the court the renovation was still in a conceptual stage. Judge Reyes read that against the president's posts.

"I have, on the one hand, the president of the United States saying to the American public three times now, I think, in the last two days, there is a final plan to redesign the golf course," she said. "Then I have you all telling me... that there's no final plan. Which is it?"

She later asked a Justice Department lawyer directly: "Do I believe the president of the United States or do I believe you?"

What the witnesses said

Jessica Bowron, acting director of the National Park Service, testified Monday that she was not aware of any plan to close the course in mid-November.

Gregory Wischer, deputy chief of staff at Interior, testified that he learned of a "tree management plan" on Oct. 5 and that it was part of a slate of D.C. beautification projects the administration is carrying out.

"There is no universe in which all of this just coincidentally happened at the same time," Reyes said. "I don't know what to do when I keep getting different stories from the government."

The trees

In May, Reyes ordered the administration to give notice of any substantial construction on the course, including removal of more than 10 trees. Late on Friday, Oct. 9, before a holiday weekend, the government told the court it planned to remove "up to 529 trees" in phases. Bulldozers started the next day.

Plaintiffs say 529 trees came down. The administration says it removed about 430.

At an emergency hearing last week, Reyes said she was "beyond disappointed" and halted further cutting. On Oct. 13 she temporarily barred additional tree removal and required three business days' written notice to the court and plaintiffs before any irreversible modification. She found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on their environmental claims and likely to suffer irreparable harm without court action.

Plaintiffs argued in an Oct. 14 motion that the tree removal was a "classic" attempt to dodge full environmental review by doing a project in smaller pieces.

The administration's position

The administration says the tree work is separate from Trump's redesign. Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, testified that it implements a 2019 National Park Service plan. An Interior spokesperson said the Park Service is "finally implementing a 7-year-old plan to address tree overgrowth," guided by the 2019 Cultural Landscape Report and meant to restore the course's historic character.

Trump says the course is run down and unsafe. He cites dangerous and diseased trees and a collapsing seawall, and says overgrowth has blocked views of Washington that were part of the original design.

In a Monday morning post, he wrote that Interior "wants to take a terrible and very unsafe golf course, and make it into a great, safe, and prestigious golf course. They have an absolute right to do so. It's as simple as that!" He called the judge "a crazed lunatic" who "may be insane."

The recusal fight

Late Sunday, Reyes rejected a motion from Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, the Justice Department's No. 3 official, asking her to step aside. Woodward had argued she showed "deep-seated and unequivocal antipathy" toward the administration.

In a 13-page opinion, Reyes wrote: "It is easy to weaponize selective quotations to bring a baseless recusal motion. But it is much harder to meet the demanding legal standard against a full record." She also ordered Woodward to attend Monday's hearing.

The Justice Department has gone after her before. Chad Mizelle, then the department's chief of staff, filed a misconduct complaint against her in an earlier case.

What is at stake

The lawsuit says the redesign would raise tee-time costs at a facility meant to be open to all. It also alleges that soil and demolition debris from the White House East Wing was dumped at the course without required environmental review. Thousands of golfers, bikers and joggers use East Potomac Park, which is considered a rare affordable option for junior and beginner golfers. The administration has not addressed in the filings described here whether prices would change.

Reyes has not said when she will rule. Trump's announced closure date is Nov. 15. She has already ordered notice before irreversible work, so any attempt to start construction on that date would run into her existing order.

What remains unanswered is the question she put to the government on Monday: whether a final plan exists, and who knew what before the bulldozers arrived.