Washington, USA (CNN) – US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ron Wyden have called on the antitrust division of the Justice Department to investigate the controversial partnership between the PGA Golf Association and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The PGA and LIV Golf Championship sponsors the Saudi Sovereign Fund.
In a letter Tuesday to senior Justice Department officials, Senators Warren and Wheaton said the deal would allow Saudi Arabia to “clean up its poor human rights record,” saying the partnership violates several provisions of antitrust law.
The letter comes after Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal announced that the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had opened an investigation into the deal.
“The PGA-LIV agreement would create a complicit American organization and force American golfers and their fans to join that complicity in this organization’s latest initiative,” Senators Warren and Senator Wheaton wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. Saudi Arabia to clean up its transgressions by paying major sports leagues.
The PGA announced last week that it will partner with the European-based TP World Championship and LIV Golf, owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
“Notably, this agreement has a substantial negative impact on competition, violates several provisions of US antitrust law, regardless of whether the agreement is based on a merger or some form of joint venture,” Warren and Wyden said.
Both lawmakers argued that the deal “violates several provisions of antitrust law,” regardless of whether it was structured as a joint venture or a merger.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
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