Judge tears into senior DOJ official and orders investigation into Trump’s golf course plans

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?”

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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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.

周五，一名联邦法官正式启动调查，以查明司法部律师和特朗普政府其他人员是否歪曲了总统翻新华盛顿特区高尔夫球场的计划，这加剧了白宫与法院之间的激烈对抗。

在一场持续近三个小时的激烈听证会上，美国地区法官安娜·C·雷耶斯向副司法部长斯坦利·伍德沃德施压，质问政府是否试图逃避法院的审查，包括在砍伐东波托马克高尔夫球场数百棵树木之前临时发出通知，以及尽管唐纳德·特朗普总统一再坚称他正在推进球场翻新工程，但政府却坚称没有正式的翻新计划。

“伍德沃德先生，我们别再玩游戏了，”前总统乔·拜登提名的雷耶斯说道。当时，司法部排名第三的官员伍德沃德站在讲台上，双手背在身后。

伍德沃德出席听证会，凸显了白宫的两难处境。尽管他同时也在领导司法部处理中期选举相关事宜，包括史无前例地提起诉讼，试图阻止阿拉斯加州参议员选举的认证，以防共和党现任议员落选。

伍德沃德一度试图解释说，他“尽我所能诚实有效地回答了法庭的问题”，并开始争论为什么他认为法官的问题与案件中的法律问题无关。

“你说完了吗？”雷耶斯反问道，“现在可以回答我的问题了吗？”

Jabin Botsford/《华盛顿邮报》 via Getty Images

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雷耶斯法官走上讲台，开始宣读华盛顿州律师职业行为准则，并直视伍德沃德的眼睛，着重强调在法庭上陈述事实的条款，这预示着听证会的走向。其言外之意是，伍德沃德或其他涉案律师可能会受到制裁。

随后双方展开了激烈的交锋，雷耶斯就司法部处理此案的方式向伍德沃德施压。这项调查很可能由法院指定的特别主审官负责，并可能导致制裁。雷耶斯强调，她并非认定司法部律师有任何虚假陈述，只是表示她打算考虑这种可能性。

这段引人注目的对话凸显出，此案与其说是关于高尔夫球场本身（特朗普曾表示他打算将其改造成“世界一流”的设施），不如说是关于在保护主义者和希望保持球场原貌的高尔夫球手的挑战下，政府如何在法庭上为自己辩护。

伍德沃德夹在法官的怒火和总统之间，总统经常在社交媒体上声称高尔夫球场项目将“立即”开始，并攻击雷耶斯是“疯狂的疯子”。

雷耶斯法官本周早些时候已在一份长达70页的措辞严厉的意见书中阻止了球场上进一步的树木移除，并要求内政部在对该场地进行任何其他不可逆转的改动之前通知法院。该裁决目前正在上诉中。

法庭上响起明显的笑声和窃笑声，伍德沃德似乎想收回他刚才说过的话。

他一度似乎暗示，10月10日突然移除400多棵树木是球场升级改造计划的一部分——校方此前否认了这一说法。有时，雷耶斯会翻阅笔录，重读伍德沃德几秒钟前说过的话。

“你是在跟我开玩笑吗？”雷耶斯说道。

雷耶斯此前曾表示，他非常怀疑移除树木与特朗普公开表示的翻新球场的愿望无关，尽管新球场的树木数量将大幅减少。

法官还命令律师保留与案件相关的任何文件。