A criminal complaint has been filed against Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club, charging the facility with misusing the presidential seal.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group and frequent critic of the former president, filed the complaint with the U.S. Justice Department after an Instagram photo showed the seal on a tee marker at the golf course.
Federal law prohibits the use of the seal to give “a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States,” CREW said in its complaint. Trump lost the Nov. 3 election to Joe Biden.
“Unlawful use of the presidential seal for commercial purposes is no trivial matter, especially when it involves a former president who is actively challenging the legitimacy of the current president,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said.
“The use of the seal at Bedminster not only helps Donald Trump’s business improperly profit from the prestige of the presidency, it also seems to echo false claims that Trump won the 2020 election, which is dangerous for democracy.”
Justice Department spokesman Joshua Stueve declined to comment. The Bedminster golf club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has been spending the warmer months at Bedminster, which served as his weekend getaway and August vacation spot during his presidency.
He spent 99 days at Bedminster as president, compared to 133 days at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to NBC News. Those were his top two destinations away from the White House.
The Bedminster stays cost taxpayers $2.9 million in Secret Service costs, including $500,000 paid directly to Trump’s business, according to documents obtained by NJ Advance Media under the Freedom of Information Act.
Last month, Trump met with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy at Bedminster a day after the California Republican endorsed state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, for the 7th District House seat now occupied by Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski. McCarthy also helped raise money for Kean.
The former president also used the golf club as the backdrop for a July announcement that he was suing tech giants Facebook, Twitter, and Google, charging them with censorship.
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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.
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