A federal judge on Saturday said that she intended to appoint a former U.S. attorney in Washington to investigate the government’s conduct in the lawsuit over President Trump’s plans to remake the East Potomac Golf Links.
Judge Ana C. Reyes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia notified the parties in the lawsuit that she had landed on Jessie K. Liu to be a so-called special master, a role that would require her to navigate the tensions that have erupted between the judge and the Trump administration in the case.
The selection of Ms. Liu, a well-respected figure in Washington legal circles, came as Judge Reyes has refused to shrug off indications that the Justice Department and at least one Interior Department official concealed plans to begin transforming much of the park that houses the course into a championship-level track, in spite of her orders.
The rare decision to open an inquiry into the Trump administration’s conduct came after Judge Reyes had stated earlier in the case that she had lost confidence that the Justice Department had been operating in good faith.
The proposal was the first step in what could be a drawn-out inquiry related to the tactics the Trump administration has used to circumvent the courts to execute Mr. Trump’s renovation projects in Washington. It also came as Democrats prepared to assume control over Congress following a rout of Republicans in the midterm elections. Democratic lawmakers have made clear that they intend to oppose Mr. Trump’s moves to put his physical imprint on the capital.
In a brief order on Saturday, Judge Reyes highlighted Ms. Liu’s work leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington during most of Mr. Trump’s first term in the White House, as well as her previous experience in the Justice Department’s national security and civil rights divisions.
Ms. Liu has found herself in similarly fraught political situations in the past.
While serving as U.S. attorney, she oversaw the prosecution of Roger J. Stone Jr., one of Mr. Trump’s longtime political advisers, on charges of lying to and obstructing Congress during an investigation into potential ties between Russia and the president’s 2016 campaign. Mr. Stone was convicted and later pardoned by Mr. Trump.
Ms. Liu also made the decision not to bring charges against Andrew McCabe, a former deputy F.B.I. director who has been targeted by the president. Ms. Liu’s office investigated Mr. McCabe over whether he had lacked candor with investigators examining his role in a leak to reporters about an inquiry related to the Clinton Foundation.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, she was briefly considered for a top position at the Justice Department, but withdrew from consideration after Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, and other conservatives opposed it. Mr. Lee cited her association with the National Association of Women Lawyers, a group that opposed the confirmation of Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court in 2006, even though Ms. Liu had signed a petition supporting his confirmation.
Ms. Liu on Saturday did not respond to a request for comment.
The proposed appointment followed an extended effort by Judge Reyes to interrogate Trump administration officials about who had allowed parts of the East Potomac Golf Links to be cut down in October, after she had ordered the Justice Department to provide early notice on any significant changes.
While the government consistently denied in court that any final plans for the space had been set in motion, Mr. Trump throughout the year had promoted converting the peninsula into a course that could host professional championships. Over the summer, he was photographed walking the site and reviewing blueprints with Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, and Tom Fazio, a renowned golf course designer.
Judge Reyes repeatedly grilled Stanley Woodward Jr., a top Justice Department official, who had insisted that there was no plan to close the site for work, even as the president announced that the current course would be shuttered on Nov. 15. After several rounds of calling Interior Department officials to testify in court, she also concluded that Gregory Wischer, a deputy chief of staff to Mr. Burgum, had likely understated what he knew about the government’s commitment to carrying out Mr. Trump’s plan.
Judge Reyes gave the Justice Department until next Friday morning to object to the pick, if they chose to. A preservationist group opposing the project is also trying to block the Nov. 15 closure of the park before any construction starts.
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