Judge clashes with Trump team over golf course renovation plan and Truth Social posts

A federal judge in Washington is openly skeptical of the Trump administration's account of its plans for a historic city golf course, and the dispute is deepening. At a Monday hearing, U. S. District Judge Ana Reyes rejected the idea that a burst of tree removal over a holiday weekend was unrelated to the redevelopment she has frozen until at least Oct. 26. She said it was not plausible that the timing was a coincidence. The D. C. Preservation League and two local golfers, who sued to stop the work, want the pause extended, arguing the project causes lasting damage and violates the law that created the park, according to The Independent.

President Donald Trump meanwhile announced online that the 106-year-old course would close for 15 months starting Nov. 15, then said the work would begin at once. He called Reyes a "crazed lunatic." Justice Department attorneys had sought her removal from the case, calling her handling of an emergency hearing egregious. She refused, finding no objective basis for disqualification. Department lawyer Stanley Woodward told the court that no final plan exists because the Park Service review is unfinished.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →