WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration attempted to keep secret the identities of officials involved in planning a multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded makeover of a public golf course in Washington, D.C., after a federal judge opened an investigation into whether the government moved forward with the project despite her orders.

According to court filings, the administration sought to "preserve the anonymity" of Department of the Interior employees who "drafted, edited, or provided input" on a plan for the East Potomac Golf Links that was submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission.

"There are significant privacy concerns involved in this case, and there is no need for public access to this information," Department of Justice lawyers said in a filing on Thursday. "The case at hand is a highly publicized matter which has drawn national attention. With that attention, has sadly come outrage and death threats. These privacy concerns support sealing," the lawyers wrote. "Government employees are reasonably concerned that they will be subject to the same level of publicity, harassment, and potential harm."

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes rejected that argument and ordered the government to release the list of names by 5 p.m. on Thursday.

"There is little possibility of prejudice from the disclosure of the names of government employees acting within the scope of their employment," the judge said.

The government released the names shortly before the deadline, while simultaneously accusing Reyes of overstepping her authority. "Ordering the production of such names is not a legitimate exercise of the court's authority, and an unconstitutional infringement on the Executive Branch's right to conduct its own affairs," Justice Department officials said.

For weeks, the administration maintained that there were no imminent plans to close the park, despite the president's posts on Truth Social laying out his vision for the project. Last month, however, the Department of Justice acknowledged in court filings that the president's plan to close East Potomac Park on November 15 was in fact underway.

The admission caught Judge Reyes off guard. She appointed a former federal prosecutor to investigate the government's actions in the case and determine whether officials have lied or violated ethics rules.

The secrecy dispute marks the latest turn in an escalating legal battle. On October 26, Reyes issued a preliminary injunction blocking the removal of any trees at the golf course and ruled that 10 days' notice must be provided before any "irreparable modification" of the site while a lawsuit filed by the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers remains active.

The court's investigation and the preliminary injunction address separate aspects of the dispute: the investigation concerns the government's conduct, while the injunction limits changes to the golf course as the preservation lawsuit continues. The plan submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission remains part of the broader conflict over the park's future.

The case has grown into a broader fight over what could be Trump's biggest D.C. makeover project yet, and it has placed the future of the nearly 400-acre public park at risk.

Source: Alternet