The U.S. Senate announced on Wednesday that it will be holding a subcommittee hearing next week over the merger between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
The hearing will be looking into the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) and its investment in LIV Golf, as well as other investments in the United States. PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan has refused to testify. Per The Hill:
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the subcommittee chairman, has repeatedly asked Al-Rumayyan to testify before the committee since June, when the two entities shocked the golf world by announcing an agreement to form a new golf monolith along with the European DP World Tour.
The PIF has repeatedly dodged those requests.
In a letter dated Aug. 16, Blumenthal once again asked the PIF governor to testify before the committee on Sept. 13 or propose an alternate date.
The legal firm representing PIF, Akin Gump Strauss & Feld, declined the invitation to testify, saying the investment would facilitate growth and partnership.
“The PIF is proud of its investments, and believes that its support for forward-thinking companies will facilitate growth, economic opportunity, and job creation in the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and around the world,” the letter said.
Greg Norman looks on at the first tee before day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 13, 2023, in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
“As the governor of an instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a minister bound by the Kingdom’s laws regarding the confidentiality of certain information, however, [Al-Rumayyan] cannot participate in any public hearing that is part of an unbounded inquiry into the PIF’s past, present, and future interests and investments,” it added.
PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and board member Jimmy Dunne both testified before the subcommittee in July, where Sen. Blumenthal grilled them on the Saudi’s influence over the PGA.
“Today’s hearing is about much more than the game of golf,” Blumenthal said during his opening remarks in July. “It’s about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence — indeed even take over a cherished American institution — to cleanse its public image,” said Blumenthal.
The merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour shocked the world in June, especially considering how much the two were at odds, with the PGA once referring to the LIV as “blood money.” In response to the controversy, PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan went as far as to blame Congress for the merger, charging that the U.S. has too deep of financial ties with the Saudi government.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addresses the media during a press conference before the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 22, 2022, in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“During this intense battle, we met with several members of Congress and policy experts to discuss the PIF’s attempt to take over the game of golf in the United States, and suggested ways that Congress could support us in these efforts,” Monahan wrote in a letter to Congress. “While we are grateful for the written declarations of support we received from certain members, we were largely left on our own to fend off the attacks, ostensibly due to the United States’ complex geopolitical alliance with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Acknowledging that the legal battle could have continued for years, Monahan said it would lead to “another decade of expensive and distracting litigation and the PGA Tour’s long-term existence under threat.”
“We believe that we did everything we could possibly do to defend what we stand for, including spending tens of millions of dollars to defend ourselves from litigation instigated by LIV Golf – significant funds diverted away from our core mission to benefit our players and generate charity,” Monahan added.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.