‘Special master’ named for ethics probe in lawsuit over Trump’s golf project

A judge said on Nov 7 she would appoint a former top federal prosecutor to investigate whether Trump administration lawyers committed ethical violations in their defence of President Donald Trump’s plans to close and renovate a historic public golf course in Washington.



US District Judge Ana Reyes named Jessie Liu, former US attorney for the District of Columbia, as a "special master" to investigate the conduct of the departments of Justice and Interior during litigation over the fate of the East Potomac Golf Links course.



Reyes named Liu one week after an Oct 30 hearing in which the judge ordered an ethics probe and expressed concerns that government attorneys misrepresented the Trump administration’s intention to continue with the renovation of the East Potomac course despite her temporary order blocking the project.



At that time, Trump had said renovation work would begin immediately, despite the judge's order and contrary to assertions that Reyes said government officials had made asking her to disregard the president's statements.