Senator demands Saudi Arabia provide documents on Liv-PGA Tour golf deal.
Senate Subpoenas Documents on Saudi Arabia’s Golf Partnership with PGA Tour
The chairman of a Senate investigations subcommittee has issued a subpoena for documents regarding Saudi Arabia’s new golf partnership with the PGA Tour. The chairman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, believes that the kingdom needs to be more transparent about its $35 billion investments in the United States.
This move is the latest challenge to Saudi Arabia’s claim of sovereign immunity, which exempts it from certain U.S. laws and obligations to provide information on the golf deal. Sen. Blumenthal’s subpoena comes after his unsuccessful requests for Yassir al Rumayyan, the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, to testify before the subcommittee.
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The surprise deal, which brings together the PGA Tour and a Saudi-funded golf start-up called LIV, was announced in June. It gave the Saudi government a significant role in a prominent U.S. sports institution overnight. The details of the agreement are still being finalized.
The Saudi government controls the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund. Sen. Blumenthal argues that if the PIF wants to engage in commercial activities with the United States, it must be subject to U.S. law and oversight.
The Saudi Embassy has not yet responded to the subpoena, which specifically names the PIF’s U.S. subsidiary, USSA International, based in New York.
Previously, a legal battle between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia resulted in a federal judge ruling that Saudi officials would have to provide depositions and documents. The judge determined that exemptions for commercial activity negated the Saudi claim of sovereign immunity. However, the deal between the two parties was reached before the ruling was fully enforced.
Sen. Blumenthal has not ruled out the possibility of issuing subpoenas for Saudi officials in the future. He stated, “We began with this subpoena, and we’ll see how much information it produces.”
It appears that Sen. Blumenthal’s investigation into Saudi investments in U.S. golf and the country as a whole has divided the subcommittee, with many Republicans expressing support for the deal.
Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is actively working to diversify its oil-dependent economy through foreign investments. However, critics argue that the kingdom’s investments in major sports institutions raise concerns.
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