Congress introduces bill aimed at PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger, Saudi Arabia ‘sportswash’

Congress has officially stepped in following the professional golf merger that shocked everyone in the game on Tuesday. 

The uniting of the PGA Tour, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the DP World Tour took everyone, including the players who were not in the know, by surprise. 

However, while Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell did not believe that governmental concern was warranted, others are taking action. 

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has introduced the “No Corporate Tax Exemption for Professional Sports Act,” and in doing so, is pointing the finger directly at the new golf entity. 

“Saudi Arabia cannot be allowed to ‘sportswash’ its government’s horrific human rights abuses and the 2018 murder of American-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi by taking over the PGA [Tour],” Garamendi said in a statement, via Yahoo Sports. 

“PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan should be ashamed of the blatant hypocrisy and about-face he and the rest of PGA’s leadership demonstrated by allowing the sovereign wealth fund of a foreign government with an unconscionable human rights record to take over an iconic American sports league and avoid paying a penny in federal corporate income tax. This merger flies in the face of the PGA players who turned down hundred-million-dollar paydays from the Saudi-backed LIV to align themselves with the right side of history and human decency.”

MITCH MCCONNELL DOESN’T BELIEVE PGA TOUR MERGER WITH SAUDI-BACKED LIV GOLF HAS ‘GOVERNMENTAL CONCERN’

However, Garamendi was not the only one on Capitol Hill to call out the merger. 

“I was really sickened by it. I thought the PGA was taking a principled stand,” Democrat Senator Tim Kaine told Fox News. “When I saw the news yesterday, I was really disappointed because it seems they set aside all the human rights objections that they had and just decided ‘okay, well, we can make more money if we go a different direction.'”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also referred to the historic deal as “blatant sportswashing.”

“I am disappointed and even outraged by the PGA’s sellout,” he said. “The PGA out to be ashamed, and it’s leadership, frankly, has lost all credibility, certainly all moral authority.”

While Garamendi pointed to the 2018 murder of Khashoggi, the 9/11 terrorist attacks have also come into focus, specifically, Monahan’s comments on them in relation to his previous stance against the Saudi-backed league.

9/11 Families United Chair Terry Strada said Tuesday following the merger announcement that “PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.”

While the PGA Tour said the goal of this new entity is to “​​unify the game of golf, on a global basis,” there are still many questions to be answered about the merger – enough questions to prompt governmental intervention. 

Fox News’ Ethan Barton and Jon Michael Raasch contributed to this report.