Judge taps ex-prosecutor to probe lawyer conduct in Trump golf course fight

Judge taps ex-prosecutor to probe lawyer conduct in Trump golf course fight A federal judge said Saturday that she intends to appoint Jessie K. Liu, the former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia during President Donald Trump’s first term, to investigate whether Justice and Interior Department lawyers committed ethical violations in the legal fight over the administration’s plans for East Potomac Golf Links. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes identified Liu as her choice to serve as a special master, an outside investigator who would assist the court in examining the government’s conduct in the case. Reyes said the investigation would cover potential violations through Oct. 31 and would be conducted at the government’s expense. Liu served as the District’s top federal prosecutor from 2017 to 2020 and previously held several senior Justice Department positions. She is now a partner at Liu Shur Kravis, a Washington law firm. Reyes opened the ethics inquiry Oct. 30 after weeks of increasingly contentious proceedings in which she questioned whether government lawyers had provided misleading or incomplete information about the administration’s plans for the historic public golf course. Among the issues Reyes has said warrant examination are the government’s representations about the removal of hundreds of trees at East Potomac and whether officials accurately disclosed plans to close and redevelop the course. The inquiry could also examine whether government lawyers failed to correct statements after learning they were inaccurate. Reyes has stressed that she has not determined that any government lawyer committed misconduct. The judge gave the Justice Department and the plaintiffs until 10 a.m. Friday to respond to her proposed selection of Liu. The government may object to Liu’s appointment without giving up its ability to argue that Reyes should not conduct an ethics investigation at all.