If you needed any more proof that the slugs working beyind the scenes running Joe Biden’s administration were left-wing activists first and foremost and were never there for the good of the country, I give you U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes.
She essentially lost her composure and her mind during a hearing on Monday, sharply criticized Justice Department attorneys Monday during an emergency hearing over the removal of hundreds of trees from a Washington, D.C., golf course that President Donald Trump plans to renovate.
Reyes, who was appointed by President Autopen at the instruction of who knows who (Barack Obama?), raised her voice repeatedly while questioning government lawyers about their handling of the project at East Potomac Golf Links. The confrontation followed the removal of approximately 430 trees over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, despite earlier instructions from Reyes requiring advance notification before significant work began.
During the nearly four-hour virtual hearing, Reyes accused government attorneys of disregarding her warnings and undermining the court’s confidence in their representations. “You’ve lost credibility with me,” Reyes bellowed at one point.
The judge became particularly frustrated after learning that the administration had provided notice late Friday afternoon, shortly before workers began removing trees Saturday morning. At a previous hearing in May, Reyes had instructed government attorneys to notify the court and plaintiffs before undertaking substantial construction or removing significant numbers of trees.
She questioned why the administration proceeded with the work despite those instructions. “I had said at the May hearing that I didn’t want 10 trees chopped down without someone having notice,” Reyes said. “On what universe did anyone in your office think that that was acceptable?”
Justice Department attorney Marissa Piropato attempted to explain that government lawyers had worked to provide notification. “Your Honor, we did our best in providing notice,” Piropato said.
Reyes immediately rejected that explanation. “You did not do your best! You did your absolute worst!” she responded. The judge also expressed concern about whether government officials had accurately represented their intentions regarding the property.
“The questions go to whether or not I’ve been lied to,” Reyes said, referring to previous statements about construction plans and the timing of the tree removal.
Reyes acknowledged that she had not formally documented her earlier notification instructions in a written order, a circumstance that complicated the possibility of contempt proceedings and one that is completely on her, not the Justice Department. But that detail could not interest her in the least. She nevertheless warned that future violations could result in serious consequences:
Monday’s hearing brought another heated exchange, this time over when government lawyers learned of the tree-removal operation and why they waited until the end of the workweek to notify the court.
“At 4:55pm on a Friday of a holiday weekend, the plaintiffs and I get [little] notice that hundreds of trees are going to be chopped down,” Reyes reportedly fumed at the government, according to MacFarlane.
When government counsel reportedly acknowledged learning of the operation on Oct. 8 or 9 and said officials were awaiting details, Reyes demanded:
“Do you have email or a cell phone?”
MacFarlane tweeted that he had never heard a judge “scream at full-voice at a lawyer before,” while the UK Independent reported Reyes excoriated federal counsel for about 15 minutes.
The dispute centers on Trump’s proposal to transform the historic public golf course into a championship-caliber facility capable of hosting major tournaments. The president has described the existing course as outdated and in need of substantial improvements. And how dare he try to fix up Washington, D.C., so that our nation’s capital city is presentable to the rest of the country and world. If only Democrats cared so much.
During a June visit to the property with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf course architects, Trump outlined plans for a major renovation that he said would produce a world-class facility accessible to the public. The administration maintains that the recent tree removal was unrelated to Trump’s proposed redesign.
National Park Service officials testified that the work was part of a landscape restoration and safety program developed in 2019, years before Trump announced his renovation plans. According to government representatives, the project involved removing hazardous, dead or deteriorating trees and restoring portions of the park’s original landscape.
However, the left-wing D.C. Preservation League, which filed a lawsuit challenging the redevelopment (because of course), argues that the administration has failed to comply with environmental and historic-preservation requirements.
The organization contends that significant changes to the federally managed property could permanently damage its historic character. Right.
Reyes questioned whether the administration had deliberately delayed notifying the court to prevent opponents from seeking emergency intervention before the trees were removed. She ordered a temporary halt to additional tree cutting until at least Tuesday afternoon and indicated that further restrictions could follow.
Shame on Democrats for putting her on the bench.
