Judge presses Trump officials in hearing over East Potomac Golf Course plan

WASHINGTON - An eight-hour hearing was held in D.C. federal court Monday, during which the administration defended President Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul East Potomac Golf Course.

During the hearing, there were direct contradictions between the Department of Justice and the President's public statements.

What we know:

The conflict peaked when Justice Department attorneys informed Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, that the government holds no contract with Tom Fazio. On Sunday, President Trump claimed on Truth Social that the well-known golf course architect had formulated a plan to build a "world-class championship course" over East Potomac Golf Links, with work slated to start on November 15.

When Judge Reyes asked DOJ attorneys, "Who am I supposed to believe? You or the President of the United States," the DOJ responded, saying that the court should believe them.

The President also asserted on social media that the facility would shutter on November 15 for renovations, and blasted Judge Reyes today by stating renovations would begin immediately. The DOJ counsel told the court Monday that no plans exist to close the course on that date.

The courtroom proceedings began with tension as Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward challenged Judge Reyes' authority to summon senior officials to testify in the courtroom. The Justice Department also filed a formal request, asking that Reyes recuse herself from the case, which she declined on Sunday night.

At the center of the immediate legal dispute is a request from the D.C. Preservation League, which is urging Judge Reyes to extend an existing order that bars the administration from cutting down any more trees until at least Monday, October 26.

RELATED: Federal judge halts tree cutting at East Potomac Golf Links through Oct. 26

Speaking on Fox News, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, defended the work, saying, "So doing some getting rid of some of these hazardous trees is restoring it back to its historical nature when this course was made. But it's a public course. It could be the best course in America with the lowest prices. That's the intention of the National Park Service, and we're looking forward to getting going on that."

Judge Reyes said she has not yet decided whether she plans to order Burgum to testify about whether there is a final plan in place for the course. 

The overhaul project has sparked backlash. Multiple organizations have filed briefs highlighting potential disruptions to tourists viewing the cherry blossoms, runners and major international events staged along Hains Point.

Among those events is the decades-old Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Event Director Rob Wolfe described the race as a "runner's rite of passage" that draws generations of families to run along Hains Point and the cherry blossom trees on a course that has set world records.

What they're saying:

According to Wolfe, event organizers have received no communications or project blueprints from the National Park Service. The only visual they have seen is the image President Trump shared on social media, which does not depict a roadway.

"For over 50 years, we've had the Cherry Blossom, the Credit Union, Cherry Blosom, 10-mile run," said Wolfe. "And part of the course has been Hains Point, their East Potomac Park. And we're not the only race, you know, to use the park. And more than that, we have thousands and thousands of runners on our day and Marine Corps Marathon has thousands of runners on their day. But every day over the course of the year, there's thousands of runners, bikers, walkers, picnickers, who enjoy the space."

Reyes revealed that she received multiple texts from her mother and brother who were concerned about death threats against her. She said that if this is where we are now, that a federal judge is getting death threats over a golf course, she really does not think that this is what the founders of this country envisioned. 

NewsWashington, D.C.Donald J. Trump