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Former President Donald Trump was seen wearing the presidential seal on several items during the LIV golf tournament at his golf course in Bedminster, NJ.
The seal was plastered on towels, golf carts and other items as the former president took part in the pro-am event of the Saudi-sponsored tournament on Thursday.
It is against federal law to use the presidential and vice presidential seals in such a way as to convey “a false impression of sponsorship or approval of the United States government.”
Although violating this law could result in a prison sentence of “not more than six months,” a fine, or both, such punishments are rarely handed out.
This is not the first time that the seal has been reported on display at Trump properties. The logo appeared on a marker at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., in an Instagram post earlier this year, according to Forbes. WNYC and ProPublica reported in 2018 that the Trump Organization ordered golf course markers with the emblem.
Last year, a D.C.-based watchdog group accused his Bedminster Golf Club of profiting from the use of images of the presidential seal.
“The illegal use of the presidential seal for commercial purposes is not a trivial matter, especially when it involves a former president who is actively challenging the legitimacy of the current president,” said Citizens for Accountability and Ethics Washington when it filed the 2021 lawsuit.
As Trump teed off Thursday in the pro-am of the final LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament, the event was closed to the public but open to the media.
This week marks the third event of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, which Trump has joined forces with in Bedminster in the face of criticism, and the second in the United States.
Trump takes center stage ahead of LIV Golf’s third tournament
The former president was asked if he regretted the golf club hosting a LIV golf event instead of a tournament sanctioned by the United States Golf Association or the PGA Tour.
“No, you don’t regret me. This is their problem,” he said. “This course eliminates all others.”
Trump has faced criticism from survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and their families for hosting the Saudi-backed golf tournament at his New Jersey resort, 50 miles from the Zone Zero.
In an ad released this week, relatives of those who lost their lives in the attacks show photos of their deceased loved ones as they share the pain they still feel more than 20 years later.
“How much money to turn your back on your own country?” asks a woman.
The golf tour is funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. US intelligence has held him responsible for the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
9/11 families release ad criticizing Trump for hosting golf tournament backed by Saudi Arabia
On Thursday, Trump rejected criticism that he was being too friendly with Saudi Arabia.
“No one has gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately,” Trump told ESPN.
Families of 9/11 victims, many of whom protested Trump’s golf event this week, suspect Saudi leaders provided financial and logistical support for the terror plot, allegations that the country’s government has denied for a long time.
The FBI last year released a list of documents from its investigation into whether Saudi Arabian government agents supported the plot. Although the documents have not provided tangible evidence of the Saudi government’s official involvement in the attacks, most of the 9/11 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia.
The documents showed that as recently as 2016, FBI agents were still investigating possible links between two of the hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, and people who may have helped them after they arrived in the United States in 2000 .