New Jersey does not renew alcohol licenses for Trump golf clubs
FILE – Former President Donald Trump greets supporters and signs autographs during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV golf tournament at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., Aug. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office (NJAG) has decided not to renew liquor licenses at Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf clubs following the former president’s felony conviction. Two Trump golf clubs had licenses that expired on June 30, and unless the former president successfully appeals the NJAG’s decision, the clubs will likely no longer be permitted to serve alcohol in the near future.
In early June, the New Jersey General Association (NJAG) Attorney General’s Office reportedly took a closer look at Trump’s liquor licenses, and the Trump Organization then boasted that the golf courses’ liquor licenses were not in jeopardy because Trump himself is neither an officer nor a director of any establishment that holds a liquor license in the Garden State or anywhere else in the United States.
It now appears that the Trump Organization was premature in saying it was not concerned. A spokesperson for NJAG said, “A review by ABC indicates that Mr. Trump has a direct economic interest as the sole beneficiary of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust through the receipt of revenues and profits from the three liquor licenses.”
Under New Jersey state law, a person who has been “convicted of a crime of moral turpitude” may not have an interest in or work in a business that holds a liquor license without applying for a “rehabilitation permit” to get the license back. Although the law does not specifically list which crimes fall into the category of “moral turpitude,” the term usually refers to a wide range of laws that “shock the public conscience,” from crimes of theft or violence to those involving willful dishonesty. “Crimes of moral turpitude” can be either misdemeanors or felonies, as the distinction is based not on severity but on the nature of the underlying offense.
A spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said the department “has a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the state’s alcoholic beverage industry.”
Currently, both Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck LLC and Lamington Farm Club LLC in Bedminster are operating under temporary permits that allow the establishments to continue serving alcohol pending a hearing on renewal.
Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payment of $130,000 in hush money to adult content creator Stormy Daniels may well meet the definition of a “crime involving moral turpitude” for purposes of requiring a license renewal.
Trump can still challenge the denial of the liquor license renewal at a hearing scheduled for July 19. At the hearing, the former president would have to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his golf clubs continue to meet the requirements to maintain their licenses.
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