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Friend,
You may have heard the news last month that the PGA Tour has agreed to merge with LIV Golf – a relatively new organization funded and controlled by the Saudi Arabian government.
The PGA Tour is a cherished American institution. So the news that the Saudi Arabian government – an autocratic regime known worldwide for its track record of human rights abuses and hostility toward American interests – was effectively on track to control the PGA Tour came as a shock to the sports world.
Let me be clear: This deal is about much more than sports. It represents an attempt by a repressive, authoritarian regime to capture an American institution – and then use their control of that institution to distract from their record of anti-human rights and anti-American conduct. To insinuate themselves into our national culture and character through “friendly rounds on the course.” To inoculate themselves from responsibility for the cold-blooded assassination of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, for the pain of 9/11 families, by sportwashing their behavior and their money...hoping we will be lulled into complicity.
We can’t stand by and surrender our institutions to hostile foreign powers. It’s simply not the American way.
That’s why I’m scrutinizing this deal and providing needed Congressional oversight to learn how we can defend other American institutions from similar takeovers. We held our initial hearing last week, and as my efforts to bring the truth to light continue to unfold, I’m hoping to hear from you about where you stand – on issues like this and others.
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