The liquor licenses for two of former President Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf courses have not been renewed following his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May.
The liquor licenses of Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster expired Sunday and were not renewed by the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, state officials said Friday. The license of a third New Jersey club, the Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia, was renewed.
The two golf clubs with expired liquor licenses were issued temporary permits allowing them to continue serving alcohol until a July 19 hearing to determine whether the licenses will be renewed.
“During such a hearing, the applicant bears the burden of proof to demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that they remain qualified to maintain licensure, which includes a review of any beneficiaries of the licenses,” the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
The hearing will take place after Trump’s sentencing on July 11.
New Jersey law prohibits anyone who has “been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude” from holding a liquor license.
“The term ‘moral turpitude’ denotes a serious crime from the viewpoint of society in general and usually contains elements of dishonesty, fraud, or depravity,” New Jersey law states.
The Trump Organization argued that Trump himself was not the holder of the liquor licenses after the state’s attorney general announced that the licenses were under review last month.
But a spokesperson for the attorney general said Trump “maintains a direct beneficial interest in the three liquor licenses through the receipt of revenues and profits from them, as the sole beneficiary of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust,” Business Insider reported.
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The Trump Organization called the hearing “unwarranted and unjustified” in a statement.
“These are some of the most iconic properties in the world, and reports like this do nothing but harm the thousands of hard-working Americans who derive their livelihoods from these spectacular assets,” a spokesperson for the organization said in a statement to the Hill when the attorney general’s office announced its inquiry into the licenses.
