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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to preserve all records tied to a lawsuit over the redesign of the East Potomac Golf Links, a step one legal analyst described as unprecedented.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the order on Nov. 10. It covers all government records dating back to Aug. 1, 2025, related to the course’s renovation or redesign. According to legal analyst Michael Popok, the order also applies to DOJ attorneys working the case and extends to material the government considers privileged.
Popok, host of the Legal AF program, discussed the order on a Saturday episode. “Never in the history of the Department of Justice has it been so untrusted by a federal judge or the federal judiciary that it required the federal court to order the Department of Justice and the other aspects of the Trump administration not to destroy documents,” he said.
He explained that such preservation demands are common between private lawyers but rarely come from the bench. “I’ve seen lawyers tell other lawyers not to destroy things and their clients, too. Never a judge,” Popok said. “This is not normal.”
The order comes amid broader concerns about record-keeping. Popok said at least three whistleblowers inside the Interior Department claim records are being destroyed on other Trump administration projects, including the ballroom, arch and Reflecting Pool renovations. They also allege officials are using disappearing messages on Signal chats, according to Popok.
Separately, Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, has sent letters to dozens of administration agencies and private companies, including Boeing, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Lockheed Martin. The letters concern the preservation of records from other projects.
“If they donated to one of Donald Trump’s pet causes, they’ve got a preservation requirement now as well,” Popok said.
The Justice Department has not been quoted in the report responding to the claims.
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