Judge Orders Inquiry Into Golf Course Plan Statements

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered an inquiry Friday into whether Trump administration officials or Justice Department lawyers misrepresented plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Links, a Washington golf course at the center of a legal dispute. The inquiry will examine statements made to the court about the project; Reyes said it was not a finding that lawyers had violated conduct rules. The investigation follows a hearing in which Reyes questioned Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward about the government’s position that no final plan existed to replace or renovate the course. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, had posted on social media that the course would close November 15 for renovation. The Justice Department told the court that no final replacement plan existed, while the administration acknowledged in a court filing that it planned to close most of the park on November 15. Reyes’s inquiry is to consider whether attorneys or officials made false or misleading statements, withheld information or interfered with witness testimony. She focused on the apparent gap between the department’s court representations and Trump’s statements about moving ahead with the...