LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is in Washington D.C. this week meeting with members of Congress to advocate for the new league and press his issues against the PGA Tour, but one GOP congressman walked out on the meeting, saying he doesn’t have time for Saudi “propaganda.”
Not everything went as planned for one of LIV’s first meetings. Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett was not at all interested in what Norman and LIV had to say. He up and walked out during Norman’s meeting with the Republican Study Committee, calling Norman’s presentation “propaganda,” according to Golf Week.
Burchett later replied to a reporter’s tweet on the walkout and asked, “Weren’t Saudis flying some of those planes on 9-11 and what about their killing of @washingtonpost columnist #JamalKashoggi?”
“LIV Golf is coming to the Hill this week to meet with lawmakers from both parties,” LIV Golf spokesperson Jonathan Grella told ESPN on Monday. “Given the PGA Tour’s attempts to stifle our progress in reimagining the game, we think it’s imperative to educate members on LIV’s business model and counter the Tour’s anti-competitive efforts.”
Norman and his cohorts hope to convince Congress to take a serious look at their charges that the PGA Tour is violating anti-trust laws. LIV also hopes to cajole Congress into deciding that the connection to the Saudi-backed agency is an unimportant issue.
But Norman’s new LIV Golf league is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Since day one, that connection has been one of the chief drawbacks for LIV’s reputation as a serious attempt at forming a rival league to the PGA Tour.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), another member of the Republican Study Committee, is also not a big fan of LIV. Roy has called for a Justice Dept. investigation into Norman for possibly violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for not registering as a representative of the Saudi government.
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