Scotland's parliament Wednesday voted down a motion to investigate how former President Donald Trump funded the acquisition of two golf courses.
Patrick Harvie, leader of Scotland's Green Party, had called for the vote to "protect Scotland's good name from association with the toxic Trump brand."
The Trump Organization owns Scottish golf resorts in Aberdeen and Turnberry.
Scottish ministers chose to pass an amendment giving power to begin any investigation to the Civil Recovery Unit, an independent body that reports to the Lord Advocate, the equivalent to the attorney general, per CBS News.
"To preserve the rule of law, there must not be political interference in the enforcement of the law," the amendment stated.
Harvie issued a statement following the parliamentary vote.
"Unfortunately, today's debate confirmed the Scottish Government remains unwilling to investigation Trump's golf courses," Harvie said. "Scotland cannot be a country where anyone with money can buy whatever land and property they want, no questions asked."
Before the vote, Harvie said Trump's Scottish involvement had hurt the environment.
Harvie wanted the government to seek an "unexplained wealth order" against the two golf courses. The UWO is part of British criminal legislation and requires the subject to explain how their assets were acquired. If the answer is not satisfactory, the assets can be seized as "presumed to be recoverable property."
Harvie also said he sought the investigation partly to protect Scotland's tourism industry.
"It's an important part of Scotland's economy and our society, and it should not be tarnished by association with this white supremacist, extremist, dangerous liar and bully," Harvie told CBS News.
Eric Trump, son of the former president, issued a pre-vote statement in which he said the Trump Organization had created jobs and rescued iconic properties in Scotland from dereliction.
"Patrick Harvie is nothing more than a national embarrassment with his pathetic antics that only serve himself and his political agenda," Eric Trump's statement said. "If Harvie and the rest of the Scottish Government continue to treat overseas investors like this, it will deter future investors from conducting business in Scotland, ultimately crushing their economy, tourism and hospitality industries."
Harvie was not impressed by Eric Trump's statement.
"As entertaining as Eric Trump's tantrum is, he doesn't say where his dad got the money to buy his Scottish golf courses," Harvie said, "which is exactly why I'm calling on the Scottish Government to seek an unexplained wealth order.
"When you have serious concerns, you ask questions."
U.K. financial documents show the Aberdeen and Turnberry resorts, both which had been refurbished with massive injections of cash, have annually lost millions of pounds.
Donald Trump reported Turnberry and Aberdeen were worth over $100 million combined on a 2020 United States Office of Government Ethics. CBS News said there was little evidence of that in the more detailed U.K. financial disclosures, which suggest the properties were more than 150 million pounds -- about $205 million -- in debt.
The Aberdeen course opened in 2012. Turnberry was acquired by Trump in 2014.
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