Trump's Potomac Golf Course Fight: Judge Orders Phone Records Preserved

A federal judge has mandated that the Trump administration ensure a key Interior Department official safeguards the contents of his personal phone, deepening an already contentious legal dispute over the president's vision for a Washington, D.C. golf course. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes issued a minute order, which was reported by Newsweek, mandating that Gregory Wischer, the deputy chief of staff for policy at the Interior, had taken necessary steps to preserve his phone's data.

Additionally, the judge broadened an ongoing preservation order to include any material related to the East Potomac Golf Course and the litigation. Judge Reyes indicated that the order should be broadly interpreted. Wischer played a pivotal role in the administration's management of the course, testifying during a hearing on October 19 about the development of the tree-removal plan and the proposed redesign.

He revealed that he had learned of President Donald Trump's announced October 15 closure date through the president's social media post. Wischer also testified that a new golf-course design had been sent to his personal phone. The preservation order does not stipulate that the phone must be handed over to the court or that its contents must be immediately presented to the plaintiffs.

Instead, it requires the government to ensure appropriate preservation measures are undertaken. This ruling is the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding Trump's plans to revamp East Potomac Golf Links, a public course on federal land overseen by the National Park Service. The lawsuit challenges the administration's handling of tree removal and its adherence to federal environmental-review procedures.

Judge Reyes denied the plaintiffs' request to extend a temporary restraining order (TRO) that halted further tree cutting until Monday, and she denied their motion to resume testimony without prejudice. The plaintiffs—the D.C. Preservation League and golfers Alex Dickson and Dave Roberts—may refile their request ahead of a permanent-injunction hearing, although the judge has not set a date for future proceedings or expressed whether she will grant longer-term relief.