The hearing will be the committee’s second regarding the acquisition of the PGA Tour by LIV Golf, which is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The hearing is expected to focus more broadly on the PIF’s investments in the U.S. But PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan once again denied a request to testify before the subcommittee.
In a letter dated Aug. 16, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) again asked the PIF governor to testify before the committee on Sept. 13 or propose an alternate date.
A week after the letter, Akin Gump Strauss & Feld, the firm legally representing PIF, declined the request in its own letter seen by The Hill.
“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,” Akin Gump partner Raphael Prober wrote.
Prober added that the PIF governor “cannot participate in any public hearing that is part of an unbounded inquiry into the PIF’s past, present, and future interests and investments.”
The golf giants released a framework for the deal in June. The parties have until Dec. 31 to finalize a deal, although they may agree to extend the deadline.
The potential deal ended ongoing antitrust litigation between the parties but invited scrutiny from some Senate Democrats, who promptly called two PGA Tour executives into the hot seat.
“Today’s hearing is about much more than the game of golf,” Blumenthal said in a July hearing. “It’s about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence — indeed even take over a cherished American institution — to cleanse its public image.”
While Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he was also concerned with “sportswashing” by the Saudi government in the hearing, he said repeatedly that the deal seemed to be a “win-win” for both entities.
The deal has also raised questions about the scope of the PIF and LIV Golf’s influence in the U.S.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
