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Donald Trump’s administration wants to conceal a list of officials behind a multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded overhaul of a public golf course in Washington, D.C., after a federal judge opened an investigation into whether the government approved the plans in spite of her orders.
The administration wants to “preserve the anonymity” of Department of Interior employees who “drafted, edited, or provided input” on a plan for the East Potomac Golf Links that was sent to the National Capital Planning Commission, according to court filings.
“There are significant privacy concerns involved in this case and there is no need for public access to this information,” lawyers for the Department of Justice wrote 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,” lawyers wrote. “Government employees are reasonably concerned that they will be subject to the same level of publicity, harassment, and potential harm.”
But U.S. District Judge Ana C Reyes isn’t buying it.
She ordered the government to publish the list of names, two of which “have already been discussed in open court, significantly reducing any asserted privacy interests because their identities are substantially…
