Topline
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed concern about the timing of a Justice Department antitrust investigation into the PGA Tour as it fights to fend off its new competitor, the Saudi government-funded LIV Golf – revealed just days before Biden’s first presidential visit to Saudi Arabia.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) questioned the Biden Administration over the timing of the revelation of … [+]
Key Facts
In the letter sent Wednesday and released Thursday, Cornyn expressed concern that anyone in the DOJ or Biden administration leaked information of the probe, and noted it apparently targets the “PGA Tour, an American company,” compared to “a Saudi Arabian-funded enterprise, LIV Golf.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the probe into the PGA Tour on Monday, and a PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed their knowledge of the investigation to Forbes.
That report came out just four days before Biden’s face-to-face meeting with de facto Saudi Arabian ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman scheduled for Friday, a visit widely ridiculed after Biden promised to isolate bin Salman for his alleged ordering of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Cornyn also questioned if any Biden Administration member had been in contact with any Saudi officials or registered Saudi foreign agents about the PGA Tour probe.
The White House did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars into LIV Golf, which some characterize as a public relations investment into improving the country’s subpar international image. The Justice Department has yet to confirm the PGA Tour probe, though the Journal reported members of the department’s antitrust department have contacted golfers’ agents, citing a person familiar with the matter. One of Cornyn’s 10 questions to Biden was to provide an update on the investigation. The PGA Tour bars any of its members from competing in LIV Golf tournaments and has suspended all players who participate in events on the new circuit.
Tangent
Biden called Cornyn a “rational Republican” for supporting a bipartisan gun control bill passed by the Senate last month. A crowd at the Texas Republican Convention loudly booed Cornyn at an event last month for his support of the package, though he clarified he kept “Biden’s gun-grabbing wishlist off the table.”
Surprising Fact
Cornyn is the second Texas politician this week to call for federal action in the ongoing power struggle between the two golf circuits. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) called for the Justice Department to investigate if LIV Golf has violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Roy wrote in the letter: “At this point, there is no mistaking the origins and purpose of LIV Golf. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is funneling money through its Public Investment Fund (PIF) to stand up LIV Golf as an exercise in public relations.”
Further Reading
Feds Launch Probe Into PGA Over Response To Rival LIV Golf (Forbes)