New Jersey to hold hearing next month to decide on liquor license renewals for 2 Trump golf clubs
By Nic F. Anderson, CNN
(CNN) — New Jersey regulators have scheduled a July 19 hearing to decide on the liquor license renewals for two of former President Donald Trump’s golf clubs in the wake of his felony conviction in New York.
A New Jersey law prohibits anyone who was convicted of a crime “involving moral turpitude” from holding a liquor license, according to a spokesperson from the New Jersey attorney general’s office.
In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in a New York court — in an unprecedented criminal trial that made him the first former US president to be convicted of a felony. Prosecutors said he falsified records to conceal a payment made to an adult film actress to keep her from speaking out about an alleged affair with Trump before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affair.
New Jersey regulators will hold the hearing — which comes after the presumptive Republican nominee is set to be sentenced in New York on July 11 — and determine whether the liquor licenses at the golf courses in Colts Neck and Bedminster can be legally renewed.
“A review by ABC [Alcohol Beverage Control] 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,” the spokesperson from the attorney general’s office said.
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization called the hearing “unwarranted and unjustified.”
“As previously stated, President Trump is not the holder of any liquor license in New Jersey, and he is not an officer, director or operator of any entity that holds a liquor license in New Jersey,” a statement obtained by CNN on Saturday reads.
“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 statement said.
The liquor licenses at the Colts Neck and Bedminster golf courses expire Sunday, and until the hearing, the clubs will be allowed to sell liquor under a state-issued temporary 90-day permit, according to the attorney general’s office spokesperson.
“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,” they said.
The liquor license for Trump’s third New Jersey golf course in Pine Hill was renewed on June 3, the spokesperson said.
“ABC declines further comment on the status of that license pending the outcome of the hearing set for the Colts Neck and Lamington Farm Club licenses,” the spokesperson said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.
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