West Virginia governor and Senate candidate Jim Justice simply grew to become the newest Republican to immediately revenue from the Saudi try to achieve unprecedented affect over U.S. skilled golf.
LIV Golf, the league that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth automobile launched in 2021, is internet hosting a high-profile match this weekend at The Greenbrier, a storied, family-operated resort owned by Justice. By drawing followers and nationwide consideration, the association has profitable implications for each the Saudi-backed tour and the property.
A number of lawmakers and watchdog teams have warned concerning the impact of the sudden inflow of Saudi funding by way of the golf marketing campaign. They fear that it’s going to suppress criticism or scrutiny of the dominion, significantly over its appalling human rights file and coverage strikes like collusion with Russia to maintain excessive oil costs. The PGA Tour, traditionally America’s marquee golf group, made related arguments for months — then agreed this summer time to kind a merger with the Saudis that’s now below investigation by Congress and the Justice Division.
As a senator — if he defeats Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) subsequent yr — Justice would seemingly weigh in on Saudi-related points like weapons gross sales frequently, given robust congressional curiosity within the U.S.’s relationship with the dominion.
The governor has refused to promote the Greenbrier or place it in a blind belief, elevating moral issues about how enterprise there would possibly affect his insurance policies or create the looks of a battle of curiosity. In coping with the prospect of the Saudi-backed LIV, he’s demonstrated the fuzzy boundaries between his public workplace and his non-public property: In 2022, Justice met with Greg Norman, LIV’s CEO, on the Greenbrier and repeatedly made public remarks defending Saudi intervention in golf and the opportunity of LIV internet hosting an occasion on the resort.
Darren Carroll by way of Getty Pictures
“At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia is our ally. We should be proud of the fact that they are just that,” Justice stated final August. He described the nation’s transfer into skilled golf as an opportunity to “juice it up and make it better.”
Representatives for Justice didn’t reply to requests for remark for this story.
The transfer mirrors the way in which LIV has benefited from the nation’s best-known GOP determine, former President Donald Trump. LIV has held a number of tournaments at Trump properties, and can later this yr host its championship match at Trump’s Doral, Florida, property for the second yr in a row. It’s unclear how a lot cash Trump and his golf equipment might have acquired from the match — Trump has stated the programs obtain a rental charge, and characterised the cash that modified arms as “peanuts.”
“They have unlimited money, and they love it. And it’s been great publicity for Saudi Arabia,” Trump instructed USA As we speak of LIV. He stated he didn’t imagine that LIV’s selection of Doral to host the occasions have been in return for his pro-Saudi insurance policies as president.
In the meantime, skeptics of the Saudi golf endeavor proceed to focus on how it will enhance the dominion’s affect within the U.S. and encourage the apply of utilizing sport to distract from alarming habits and domesticate comfortable energy, a transfer generally known as “sportswashing.”
This weekend is an particularly jarring second for followers of golf on the Greenbrier, which beforehand spent years internet hosting PGA Tour occasions.
“Greenbrier golf has been a huge part of my life … But I cannot support this LIV event and will not attend,” Stephen Baldwin, a former state senator in West Virginia, instructed HuffPost by way of e mail.
He described taking part in for the Greenbrier, volunteering there throughout a number of tournaments and nonetheless utilizing a Greenbrier golf bag to play. Baldwin’s father labored there for many of his profession, he famous.
However he believes it’s going to finally be a transparent mistake to affiliate with LIV “because it dishonors the game.”
“I don’t begrudge anyone for wanting to go see famous golfers, but I won’t participate in sportswashing to cover up the Saudi anti-freedom record,” wrote Baldwin, who was the highest Democrat within the state Senate earlier than dropping his seat final November.
Legislators plan to proceed probing the deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Funding Fund this fall.
Final week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) of the Senate subcommittee on investigations renewed a request for the top of the Saudi fund to testify earlier than Congress.
“The agreement with PGA Tour appears to be only one element of [the fund’s] efforts at increased commercial engagement with the United States,” Blumenthal wrote. “Much about [the fund’s] U.S. investments and future intentions remains unknown.”
