Judge initiates probe into whether Trump admin officials mislead court about golf course renovation

A federal judge on Saturday notified parties in a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's plans to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., that she intends to investigate whether the administration's officials misled the court about changes made to the course. 

Judge Ana C. Reyes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia selected Jessi K. Liu to be a so-called special master, the New York Times reported. 

Reyes has said that she lost confidence the Justice Department had been operating in good faith in its dealings with the court, partly due to allegations one Interior Department official concealed plans to ignore Reyes' orders and proceed with the renovations to turn the course into a championship-level track. 

In her order Saturday, Reyes highlighted Lui's work leading the U.S. attorney's office in Washington during most of Trump's first term in the White House, as well as previous experience in the Justice Department.