ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio, AP) — Liquor licenses at two country clubs owned by former President Donald Trump have been renewed on a temporary basis, pending the outcome of his court battles.
The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control said last week it would not renew the licenses for Trump golf courses in Colts Neck and Bedminster, which expired on Sunday. The agency instead issued temporary 90-day permits to allow them to continue serving alcohol until a hearing on the licenses is held, on July 19 in Trenton, on his qualifications to own the licenses, following his felony convictions in May in New York.
At issue is whether Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide payments of hush money to a porn star violate New Jersey's prohibition on anyone holding a liquor license who has been convicted of a crime involving “moral turpitude.”
And the state Attorney General's Office said in a statement that the burden is on Trump “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 license for a third Trump-owned golf course, in Pine Hill, was renewed by borough officials on June 3. Officials did not specify what happens there if the other licenses are revoked.
His company, the Trump Organization, predicted the licenses will not be affected, and cautioned against an investigation that it claimed could be “political in nature.”
“We believe that a hearing regarding the renewal of our liquor licenses is unwarranted and unjustified," the Trump Organization said in a statement.
It said the licenses support the livelihoods of hundreds of New Jersey residents who work at them, and contribute millions of dollars to state revenues.
“We sincerely hope that this investigation is not political in nature, and given the foregoing, we feel confident that our licenses will remain unaffected,” the company said.
When the state first said earlier this month it was examining whether to take action against the licenses, the Trump Organization said the probe does not apply to him because the licenses are issued in the names of corporate entities of which he is not an officer or director.
But the Attorney General's Office said that “a review by ABC indicates that Mr. 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.”
When Trump was sworn in as the 45th president in January 2017, he turned over management of The Trump Organization to his eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, according to a statement on the company’s website.