President Donald Trump is embroiled in an arsenic-laced dirt fight — and opponents say his administration is fighting dirty, reports show.
The Trump administration is refusing to allow testing on soil it dumped on a public golf course in Washington, D.C. despite National Park Service findings the dirt contains arsenic and lead, according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
The East Potomac Golf Links, where the administration plans to build a major golf championships facility, has been topped with dirt from the East Wing demolition where Trump wants to build a ballroom, the Journal reported.
Now opponents led by the D.C. Preservation League are suing the Department of the Interior to stop the project, according to reporting by NBC News.
They claim dirt dumped on the links by the Trump administration will hurt golfers and the environment, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The National Park Service tested the dirt and reported that while no asbestos was detected, there appeared to be toxins such as arsenic and lead the Journal reported.
The D.C. Preservation League is now asking a federal judge to allow it to test the dirt itself.
In a hearing this month, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said that she didn't understand why the Trump administration wouldn't allow for more testing of the dirt.
"If there isn't a problem with it, who cares?" Reyes asked. The judge reportedly added, "there appears to be a lot of arsenic in the soil 'and that seems like a bad thing.'"
