Judge Keeps Ethics Inquiry Into Trump DOJ Lawyers Alive in East Potomac Tree-Cutting Case
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 14
Judge Keeps Ethics Inquiry Into Trump DOJ Lawyers Alive in East Potomac Tree-Cutting Case
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 14
Summary
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said Friday that scrutiny of Trump administration lawyers in the East Potomac Golf Links case will move forward, either through a special master or under her own supervision.
The inquiry centers on whether Justice Department lawyers met ethical duties in handling court-ordered notice requirements and their explanations for tree-cutting work at East Potomac.
Justice Department lawyers argued Thursday that no ethics probe was warranted and said Reyes could not appoint a special master without the government's consent, urging her or a magistrate judge to handle any review instead.
Reyes said she did not want to pursue the matter but had a duty to ensure representations to a federal court were made in good faith and under ethical rules; she has not yet decided whether to appoint former U.S. attorney Jessie K. Liu.
The dispute comes as Reyes is expected to rule Saturday on preservation groups' emergency bid to block the Park Service from closing East Potomac and nearby parkland after Sunday's final rounds.