The Biden-appointed federal judge accused government attorneys of losing credibility after late Friday tree removal notice
A Biden-appointed federal judge who previously drew a formal misconduct complaint from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for alleged bias erupted at government lawyers again Monday, in a heated showdown over rapid tree removal at a historic golf course on national parkland.
Judge Ana Reyes unleashed her latest rebuke during an emergency hearing over hundreds of trees removed from East Potomac Golf Links in Hains Point, D.C. Trump wants to transform the historic public facility into a championship-caliber golf course like his courses in the U.S., Ireland and Scotland – the latest courtroom collision between the administration and its political opponents.
Journalist Scott MacFarlane, who live-tweeted from the hearing, described Reyes as “scream[ing]” at administration attorneys over the government’s late-Friday notification that tree removal would begin Saturday. A government lawyer acknowledged that approximately 430 trees had already been cut down, according to MacFarlane.