Judge threatens contempt sanctions over alleged document destruction in Washington golf-course case

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said she will initiate contempt proceedings within a "zeptosecond" if she finds credible evidence that administration officials destroyed documents concerning President Donald Trump's plan to convert East Potomac Golf Links and adjacent parkland into a championship-level golf course. The comment was made during a Friday hearing in the case brought by preservation groups and golfers seeking to stop the closure of the nearly 400-acre public park.

The warning follows whistleblower reports to Democratic members of Congress alleging that officials have been deleting records related to the project. Lawmakers have urged the administration to preserve existing records, recover any deleted information and suspend any further destruction.

President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the park would close "immediately" for about 15 months for renovations. While administration officials initially denied imminent closure, court filings later confirmed that the park is slated to close by November 15.

Judge Reyes expressed skepticism about the safety justification offered by the administration, noting that thousands of runners participated in the Marine Corps Marathon and that the public continues to use the course daily without reported hazards. She questioned whether the design plans submitted to federal agencies are final and whether the government would reconsider them in light of public opposition.

During the hearing, the judge asked attendees to raise their hands if they opposed the project; the majority did so. Justice Department officials later filed a brief stating there is "no reasonable basis for conducting an ethics inquiry in this case."