{"id":578212,"date":"2023-06-11T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/"},"modified":"2023-06-11T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T12:00:00","slug":"why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why some lawmakers are livid over the \u2018shameless\u2019 PGA-LIV merger"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4169264489c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4169264489c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/#Why_PGA_merged_with_LIV_Golf\" >Why PGA merged with LIV Golf\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/#Lawmakers_slam_%E2%80%98shameless_cash_grab\" >Lawmakers slam \u2018shameless cash grab\u2019\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/#Will_DC_try_to_break_up_the_deal\" >Will D.C. try to break up the deal?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/#Why_Trump_cheered_the_merger\" >Why Trump cheered the merger\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/PGA-LIV-together.png?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A\u00a0stunning merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf is making waves across Washington, D.C., drawing the ire of lawmakers and generating\u00a0discussions of probes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The deal follows more than a year of antitrust litigation between the two leagues after LIV Golf hooked some of golf\u2019s top talent with mega contracts. The PGA responded by barring those who jumped to the new league from competing in its own tournaments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Now the\u00a0partnership puts the PGA in the crosshairs of critics who decry the move as an attempt at a\u00a0monopoly on the sport\u00a0alongside\u00a0a foreign power with well-documented human rights abuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cThe PGA Tour has spent two years lambasting Saudi sports-washing and paying lip service the integrity of the sport of golf, which will now be used unabashedly by the Kingdom to distract from its many crimes,\u201d Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blumenthal.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press\/release\/blumenthal-statement-on-the-liv-golf-pga-tour-merger\">said in a statement<\/a> on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe PGA Tour has placed a price on human rights and betrayed the long history of sports and athletes that advocate for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> change and progress. I will keep a close eye on the structure of this deal and its implications,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_PGA_merged_with_LIV_Golf\"><\/span><strong>Why PGA merged with LIV Golf\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An agreement reached\u00a0earlier this week would end a lawsuit filed by non-profit PGA and LIV and combine the two leagues \u2014 along with the DP World Tour \u2014 into a single\u00a0for-profit entity partly backed financially by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The rival league, operated by former PGA golfer Greg Norman,\u00a0was formed in 2021 and drew controversty after poaching golfers from PGA with lucrative contracts.<\/p>\n<p>These players were then suspended from playing in PGA events, triggering scrutiny into the tour\u2019s potential anti-competitive acts and whether LIV acted unlawfully by interfering with tour members\u2019 contracts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The PGA Tour added in its announcement that the three organizations will work together in good faith to \u201cestablish a fair and objective process\u201d for any player who wished to re-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly for PGA membership following the 2023 season.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> we all know and love,\u201d PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lawmakers_slam_%E2%80%98shameless_cash_grab\"><\/span><strong>Lawmakers slam \u2018shameless cash grab\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After the Tuesday announcement, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden dealt harsh criticism toward Monahan, accusing him of hypocrisy and calling the move a \u201cshameless cash grab\u201d that would meet challenges on Capitol Hill.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Monahan told reporters following a meeting with PGA players after the deal was announced that he accepted likelihood he would face accusations of hypocrisy<strong>.<\/strong> He previously bashed LIV and the golfers who joined it, invoking Saudia Arabia\u2019s record on human rights and its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/pga-tour-liv-golf-merger-911-families-tear-into-hypocrisy-and-greed-of-commissioner-jay-monahan-025703177.html\">alleged connections<\/a> to the September 11 attacks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,\u201d Monahan said after the merger. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI accept those criticisms. But circumstances do change.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The Saudi PIF is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the\u00a0murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to the CIA. <\/p>\n<p>President Biden previously pledged to make bin Salman a \u201cpariah\u201d over the killing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Saudi Arabia has also been at the center of recent human rights abuses, including a crackdown on women\u2019s rights activists in 2019 and mass executions of imprisoned civilians the same year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>And private comments the crown prince reportedly made as gas prices soared last year shed further light on his fraught relationship with Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After Biden vowed consequences in response Saudi Arabia\u2019s oil cuts, bin Salman said privately last fall that \u201che will not deal with the U.S. administration anymore,\u201d\u00a0and later promised \u201cmajor economic consequences for Washington,\u201d the Washington Post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2023\/06\/08\/saudi-arabia-cut-oil-production\/\">reported Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The commissioner also brushed aside the idea that combining the two leagues, along with the European tour, would effectively create antitrust issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cEvery single player in men\u2019s professional golf is going to have more opportunity and more growth,\u201d Monahan said in a recent <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/video\/2023\/06\/06\/pgas-jay-monahan-and-pifs-yasir-al-rumayyan-break-down-surprise-deal-to-merge-pga-and-liv.html\">interview with CNBC<\/a>. \u201cWe are going to grow our industry. This is all positive.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said the decision to merge \u201cflies in the face of the PGA players who turned down hundred-million-dollar paydays from the Saudi-backed LIV to align themselves with the right side of history and human decency.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Garamendi on Wednesday introduced the\u00a0\u201cNo Corporate Tax Exemption for Professional Sports Act,\u201d which would s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> the PGA Tour of its federal tax exemption.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe notion that the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund would pay zero dollars in taxes on their blood money and potentially billions of dollars in profits while countless American families pay their fair share while struggling to make ends meet is ludicrous,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_DC_try_to_break_up_the_deal\"><\/span><strong>Will D.C. try to break up the deal?<\/strong>\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Congressional critics of the merger are looking for ways the deal could run afoul of antitrust or national security laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wyden pledged \u201cto dive into every nook and cranny of Saudi Arabia\u2019s deal with the PGA. As a start: U.S. officials need to consider whether a deal will give the Saudi regime improper control or access to U.S. real estate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Merging the leagues might raise concerns that a foreign power could influence politics, Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a veteran intelligence analyst, told The Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Saudis already own considerable property in the United States so the security implications of this deal only add to concerns that the Kingdom can influence politics in America by showing favor to aspiring politicians,\u201d Riedel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it is unclear if the potential threat rises to the level of a foreign investment investigation by the Committee on Foreign Invesment in the U.S. (CFIUS), which has the power block foreign acquistions of  U.S. companies.<\/p>\n<p>CFIUS would require both legal jurisdiction and evidence of a real national security risk to get involved, experts told The Hill.<\/p>\n<p>Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security told The Hill that publicly available information on the deal seems to indicate a merger where the Saudis would have significant control over important matters related to the PGA Tour so the legal jurisdiction threshold would be covered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But then on the matter\u00a0of national security, there would be questions about the intent of the foreign actor to do something nefarious, whether the foreign actor can exploit a vulnerability with the acquisition, and what consequences would arise from a harmful act, Kilcrease said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClearly, people are concerned about the Saudis for very good reasons. It\u2019s not evident to me at this point what they can do with the PGA tour that would raise the level of a national security risk\u201d Kilcrease continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, they\u2019re engaging in this because they\u2019re trying to\u00a0sport wash\u00a0or kind of deflect attention from their human rights abuses,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Trump_cheered_the_merger\"><\/span><strong>Why Trump cheered the merger<\/strong>\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Former President Trump praised the leagues\u2019 agreement earlier this week on his Truth Social account, referring to the deal\u00a0as \u201cbig, beautiful, and glamorous\u201d for golf.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> from LIV golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/110497654627066909\">Trump wrote<\/a> in all capital letters on his account.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, whose golf courses are a major part of his brand and business, has hosted LIV events at his own facilities this year with three total on the docket.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/110498764900062471\">former president predicted<\/a> on Truth Social last year that the two leagues would eventually converge, and players who stayed with the tour would \u201cget nothing but a big \u2018thank you\u2019 from PGA officials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his family following his presidency have also been tied to lucrative deals with Saudi Arabia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A Saudi real estate company inked a\u00a0deal with the Trump Organization for more than $1 billion in November to use the Trump name on its hotel, golf course and villas, The Associated Press reported. <\/p>\n<p>And Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner received a $2 billion investment from the PIF into his investment firm after Trump left the White House, according to a U.S. House panel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey make no secret that they prefer Trump and his family to Biden,\u201d Riedel said of the Saudi royal familiy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/business\/4042995-why-some-lawmakers-are-livid-over-the-shameless-pga-liv-merger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A\u00a0stunning merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf is making waves across Washington, D.C., drawing the ire of lawmakers and generating\u00a0discussions of probes.\u00a0 The deal follows more than a year of antitrust litigation between the two leagues after LIV Golf hooked some of golf\u2019s top talent with mega contracts. The PGA responded&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":578213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/PGA-LIV-together.png?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[143888,117,134343,73798,4941,143889,143890,70881,124783,57364,132274,143891,141219,4947,78456,71381,139138,81144,70289,4965,71158],"class_list":["post-578212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-antitrust","tag-business","tag-campaign","tag-defense","tag-donald-trump","tag-foreign-investment","tag-foreign-relations","tag-golf","tag-international","tag-jared-kushner","tag-liv-golf","tag-merger","tag-mohammed-bin-salman","tag-opinion","tag-pga-tour","tag-richard-blumenthal","tag-ron-wyden","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-senate","tag-technology","tag-trump-organization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}