Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday said the federal judge whose ruling has delayed construction of the Purple Line has a conflict of interest stemming from his connections to opponents of the light-rail project.
Hogan was holding a press conference at Park Potomac to announce proposed traffic improvements to I-270 when he was asked about the construction of the 16.2-mile light-rail line, on which the state has spent millions on design and engineering work required in advance of construction. The state expected to receive $900 million in federal funds before U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon vacated federal approval for the Purple Line project in August as part of an ongoing lawsuit.
Hogan, who discussed the project with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao during a meeting last month, said the $900 million can’t be “shaken loose” because of Leon’s alleged conflicts.
“Secretary Chao can’t do anything about a judge whose wife happens to be involved in an opponent group and who has a conflict of interest who’s making a decision to hold this up,” Hogan said.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Andrew Metcalf over at Bethesda Magazine