PGA Tour has spent $120,000 in three months lobbying White House, Congress over Saudi LIV Golf
by Jerry Dunleavy, Justice Department Reporter
July 21, 2022 09:44 AMThe PGA Tour's longtime law firm is being paid to lobby the House, the Senate, and President Joe Biden’s White House over issues related to the PGA's Saudi government-backed rival, financial filings indicate.
DLA Piper, a prominent global law firm, filed a lobbying disclosure this week revealing it had been paid $120,000 by its client, the PGA Tour, to lobby Congress and the “Executive Office of the President” on a range of issues, including “Saudi Golf League proposals.” The disclosure covered the second quarter, April to June, for 2022.
The PGA said last week that it is being investigated by the Justice Department, apparently related to allegations of anti-competitive practices tied to its opposition to the new LIV Golf Series backed by the government of Saudi Arabia.
The lobbying firm had also been paid $70,000 by the PGA between January and March to lobby Congress and the Biden White House about the Saudi golf league and multiple other issues. It appears the law firm, which has lobbied for the PGA for years, first began its lobbying related to the Saudi golf effort in the second quarter of 2021, when it was paid $70,000 to target the House, Senate, and White House, followed by $50,000 the next quarter to do the same, then $50,000 in the final quarter of 2021 when it was paid $50,000 to target the House and Senate. The White House was added back to the lobbying target list this year.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland last week “to raise concerns about the timing of your administration’s investigation into the PGA Tour” coming at the same time as Biden’s controversial trip to Saudi Arabia.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/pga-tour-lobbying-targets-biden-white-house-saudi-golf-rival
