Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Religious Leaders Are Using an Obscure Provision of DC Liquor Law to Try to Force Donald Trump to Give Up Ownership of the Trump International Hotel

Religious Leaders Are Using an Obscure Provision of DC Liquor Law to Try to Force Donald Trump to Give Up Ownership of the Trump International Hotel
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Republican National Committee winter meeting at the Trump International Hotel, February 1, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/Getty Images)

Could this actually work?

During the 2016 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump vowed his business holdings would be a non-issue because he would remove himself from all day to day operations and put the businesses in a "blind trust" to be run solely by his sons.

While that is not how a blind trust works, the vow never came to fruition post-election anyway, particularly as it pertains to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., which Trump still has ownership of.


Now seven religious and civic leaders in Washington DC plan to use Trump's decision to remain heavily involved in his private businesses, and his moral character, against him.

The group, comprised of three reverends, two rabbis and two federal court judges, petitioned the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C (ANC 4C) of Washington DC to revoke Donald Trump's liquor license issued to him —and still in his name— for the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC. The reason? The President lacks good moral character.

ANC 4C voted unanimously to support the petition and forwarded the petition to the District of Columbia Alcohol Beverage Control Board, who provides oversight for liquor licenses. According to Zach Teutsch, a commissioner in ANC 4C,

We would be taking a similar action towards any high-profile community member that has a long, detailed public history of dishonesty, civil and criminal accusations."

The seven DC spiritual and civic leaders cited a provision of the liquor licensing laws covering Washington DC which states the license holder must be of "good moral character." The President, their petition states, falls far short in that regard.

Their original complaint, filed in April, stated,

Donald Trump, the true and actual owner of the Trump International Hotel, is not a person of good character."

And they provided examples.

The petitioners state Trump being accused of sexual assault by 16 women, his charitable foundation facing allegations of impropriety in the state of New York, his failure to pay his debts to lenders and contractors, his association with alleged and convicted criminals, his attitudes toward minority groups and women and his overall race relations mean he falls far short of the "legal good character standard".

They maintain his behavior before and during and after the election reflect a lack of integrity. They also cited a dismal public track record with honesty.

As examples of his lack of honesty, the petition cited the President's changing and contradictory accounts of the payment made to Stephanie Clifford by his lawyer Michael Cohen.

As a symbol of his integrity, they referenced the fraud case against Trump University, which was eventually settled for $25 million. The petition states,

Trump, who might have tried to distance himself from the tactics alleged in the suits, instead repeatedly denied the fraud claims and consistently insisted that he would win the case at trial."

They conclude their petition by stating it is in the public interest to revoke the liquor license issued to President Donald Trump because because there are "no conditions" that would assure D.C. residents that "Mr. Trump, a person who lacks good character, will suddenly become a person of good character."

The District of Columbia Alcohol Beverage Control Board may eventually agree. Former board member Mafara Hobson sided with the petitioners and urged “an immediate investigation and subsequent hearing to determine if the hotel is in compliance and worthy of the privilege to hold a liquor license in the nation’s capital.”

The board began their investigation and has 90 days to issue a decision from the date ANC4C forwarded their concurrence.

The Trump Organization owned DC hotel knows its share of controversy. And those who wish to engage the President use it for official gatherings, like the the Republican National Committee winter meeting held there in February 2018, as well as international leaders and lobbyists.

The Attorneys General of Washington DC and Maryland, together with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) also took issue with Trump's continued involvement with the same DC hotel, but for a different reason. They pursued their grievance in federal court.

More from People/donald-trump

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less