Judge Rebukes the Administration Over the East Potomac Golf Links as Hundreds of Trees Come Down
NPR reports that in a tense Monday hearing, federal Judge Ana C. Reyes sharply rebuked administration lawyers over President Trump's apparent intent to defy the court and push ahead with a major renovation of the historic East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C. Late on Friday, Oct. 9 — just before a holiday weekend — government officials notified the court that they planned to remove up to 529 trees in phases.
The next day, bulldozers began taking down hundreds of trees.
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Telling a court about up to 529 trees late on the Friday before a holiday weekend, with the felling starting the next morning, is a schedule that answers its own question about urgency.
The calendar looks damning, but it isn't the real dispute: the White House says it is simply carrying out a 2019 preservation plan, while the plaintiffs say Trump's stated desire to redevelop the course goes well beyond it — and that plan recommends removing invasive vegetation, not healthy native species.