The Trump Organization said Tuesday that it has removed the presidential seal from tee markers at one of its golf courses after reports that the products may have violated federal law.
A spokesperson for the organization told ABC News that the plaques were temporary.
“The plaques were presented to the club by a small group of members, who are incredible fans of the President, in honor of Presidents Day weekend,” the spokesperson said. “They were temporary and have since been removed.”
It was reported Monday by ProPublica that Eagle Sign & Design, a design and metalworking company, had filled an order for “Trump International” for dozens of tee markers featuring the seal for use at Trump golf courses.
{mosads}The use of the presidential seal for purposes other than government business is a violation of federal law punishable by fines or up to six months in prison.
A spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told ABC News that the use of the seal would still be illegal, even if it were temporary.
“There does not appear to be any legal interpretation that says it’s okay to violate the law if it’s only for a holiday weekend,” Jordan Libowitz said in a statement. “If anything, it raises more questions as to whether they knew they were violating the law, so intentionally tried to do it for a short time to see if it would get noticed.”