Trump's statement came ahead of a Monday morning evidentiary hearing where Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Interior Department Deputy Chief of Staff Gregory Wischer, and National Park Service official Jessica Bowron to appear after rejecting the government's motion to disqualify her from the case. In a Sunday night response to Reyes' demand for clarification, Justice Department lawyers maintained that the Tom Fazio redesign Trump unveiled Sunday "is not final because the Park Service has not completed its review and details of the proposal are subject to change," arguing that redesigning the course is exempt from Administrative Procedure Act review and comparing it to mowing the lawn.
Trump announced Sunday that the 106 year old public facility will close Nov. 15 for a 15 month rebuild into a tournament venue for events such as the US Open and Ryder Cup. The plan shrinks the course from 36 holes to 18 and removes the short course, historic mini golf, a grove of Japanese cherry trees, Ohio Drive, bike paths, and Hains Point picnic areas, following an unannounced weekend operation in which National Park Service crews cut down 430 of 729 trees slated for removal.