Photo by Geoff Livingston.

A new complaint filed with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration calls for the agency to rescind the Trump International Hotel’s liquor license, based on a law that requires establishment owners to be “of good character.”

The complaint comes from a group of religious leaders and retired or inactive judges and requests that the “board investigate Mr. Trump’s lack of good character and require the hotel’s licensee, Trump Old Post Office LLC, to appear before the board to show cause why its license to sell and serve alcoholic beverages at The Trump International Hotel should not be revoked.”

The president does not technically control Trump International Hotel—his eldest son, Don Jr., is the head of Trump Old Post Office LLC—but he does still retain an ownership stake in the business.

That has led to a flurry of lawsuits, including from the attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland, House Democrats, and even local business Cork Wine Bar.

The hotel, which opened in October 2016, is a popular hang-out for administration officials and venue for events and fundraisers for conservative causes and foreign governments.

The complaint from seven D.C. residents outlines “certain lies he has told, his involvement in relevant fraudulent and other activity demonstrating his lack of integrity, and his refusal to abide by the law or to stop associating with known criminals.”

Scott Rome, the Veritas lawyer suing the Trump International Hotel on behalf of Cork Wine Bar, often represents hospitality clients in front of ABRA.

He says the agency will use the “good character” requirements when evaluating new applications by looking into applicants’ legal histories and other aspects of their background that might point to moral character, but he has not seen ABRA apply the code to during an active license.

“It doesn’t mean [ABRA] can’t do it, but I’ve never seen that applied,” Rome says. “It’s not likely to go very far, as meritorious as I think it is.”

Joshua Levy, the Cunningham Levy Muse LLP lawyer who filed the complaint, says that such a hearing “is not unprecedented and when the evidence is egregious, it’s warranted.”

He pointed to a statement from Mafara Hobson, a former member of the D.C. Alcohol Beverage Control Board, in support of the complaint’s call for an investigation and hearing. “Licensees in the District of Columbia are required to display and maintain good character and integrity at all times,” Hobson wrote. “Those that don’t are mandated to show cause before the Board. This man has repeatedly and unapologetically shown the world that he lacks civility and exhibits pervasive abuse of the law, women and people of color.”

ABRA confirmed in a statement that it received the complaint and forwarded it to ABRA’s Enforcement Division for review.

This post has been updated with comment from Joshua Levy.

2018.06.20 Complaint to Request Hearing to Show Cause Why Liquor License Should Not Be Revoked by ntihll on Scribd