(Photo by Geoff Livingston)

President Donald Trump’s alleged lack of “good character” will not endanger the Trump International Hotel’s liquor license after all, at least not yet.

D.C.’s Alcohol Beverage Control Board will not hold a preemptive hearing over whether the Pennsylvania Avenue ought to have its liquor license revoked over concerns it violated a law stating that establishment owners be “of good character,” it announced in a decision released on Wednesday.

However, the statement from Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Chairperson Donovan Anderson explains the choice on procedural grounds: “good character” investigations happen at the time of license application or renewal, and the board “does not agree with the assumption that a character and fitness review may be initiated at any time.”

A complaint filed in June by 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 complaint outlined Trump’s alleged deceitfulness about his net worth, conflicts of interest, and payments to Stormy Daniels; fraudulent dealings with Trump University and refusal to pay business contractors; accusations of committing sexual assault; and failure to follow the law or repudiate associations with known criminals.

Joshua Levy, the Cunningham Levy Muse LLP lawyer who filed the complaint, notes that the board did not rule on the merits of the case. “On the merits, the evidence of Mr. Trump’s bad character is overwhelming,” he tells DCist. “We disagree with the board’s narrow interpretation of the statute, deflecting the issue. Holding a license in the District of Columbia is a privilege, not a right. The board should take up the issue now, and we will be urging them to do so.”

The filing calls the president the “true and actual owner” of the hotel. The head honcho at Trump Old Post Office LLC is technically his eldest son, Donald Jr., though the commander in chief has not renounced his ownership stake in the business.

What has followed is a slew of lawsuits from public officials, like the attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland, and from at least one local business.

The hotel, which opened shortly before the 2016 election, has become a popular place for administration officials and foreign dignitaries to spend their time, as well as a favored location for conservative fundraisers and causes.

The board noted that, during its review process of the complaint, investigators found one “alleged sale-to-minor violation,” which will be on its agenda during its September 26 meeting. (This violation didn’t have an impact on the “good character” complaint.)

While the board will not hold a specific hearing to look into Trump’s character right now, it did not rule out doing so during the hotel’s license renewal process. All hotels looking to keep their licenses must apply for renewal by March 31, 2019.

“The board has a mountain of evidence showing the president’s bad character,” says Levy. “Certainly, sooner or later it will have to reach the merits of this complaint.”

Previously:
Complaint Lodged With Alcohol Board Calls Trump’s ‘Good Character’ Into Question
D.C. Attorney General May Gain Access To Trump’s Business Records, And He Wants To Make Them Public
Cork Wine Bar Is Suing Donald Trump Over Unfair Competition

This post has been updated with comment from Joshua Levy.