LIV Golf confirmed its narration with the steadfast successful a connection to POLITICO.
“McKenna has supported the absorption squad arsenic we proceed to reinvent the planetary crippled of golf,” it said.
It’s not the archetypal clip successful caller years that McKenna & Associates has done enactment for a controversial, high-profile client. The steadfast was astatine the bosom of accusations that the National Rifle Association engaged successful insider dealing erstwhile it hired the woman of a apical NRA official. The NRA’s ain accountants reportedly raised concerns astir the conflicts posed by that statement and its enactment successful general, for which McKenna & Associates earned millions. And successful 2020, New York Attorney General Tish James sued the NRA, alleging successful portion that apical NRA officials hired McKenna’s steadfast without going done the NRA’s declaration process and paid it $5 cardinal implicit 5 years. That lawsuit is ongoing.
It’s unclear erstwhile the steadfast picked up LIV arsenic a client. But successful a connection to POLITICO, McKenna & Associates defended its enactment connected behalf of the play tour.
“LIV’s extremity is to turn and to reinvent the planetary crippled of play and our full squad is arrogant to beryllium portion of that effort,” the connection said.
McKenna & Associates is not registered to correspond LIV Golf nether the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and the steadfast did not respond to a petition for remark astir wherefore it has not. FARA generally mandates that entities lobbying oregon providing nationalist relations consulting for a overseas principal, specified arsenic a overseas government, successful the U.S. indispensable registry that enactment with the Department of Justice. However, determination are exemptions to the law, including for activities “in furtherance of the bona fide commercialized oregon commerce,” sometimes adjacent if the overseas main is state-owned.
Earlier this year, POLITICO reported that a subsidiary of the nationalist relations elephantine Edelman had besides done enactment for LIV Golf. That enactment was besides ne'er reported nether FARA. Edelman maintained that it had been contracted done a golf-focused selling firm.
In August, erstwhile Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) registered to lobby connected behalf of the company, and past period LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman visited Capitol Hill arsenic portion of a Washington blitz.
The strongest governmental ties LIV has seemingly forged are with erstwhile President Donald Trump. The circuit held an lawsuit successful precocious July astatine Trump’s state nine successful Bedminster, N.J. And successful precocious October, LIV Golf volition big a tourney astatine Trump National Doral successful Miami.
The efforts exemplify the grade to which LIV Golf has sought to ingratiate itself successful D.C. circles. The rollout of the circuit has roiled nonrecreational play and captivated Washington lawmakers, mostly due to the fact that of the organization’s Saudi funding.
This period marked the four-year day of the decease of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. quality believes was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The website for McKenna & Associates describes Andrew McKenna arsenic an alum of the George W. Bush medication and the 2000 Bush campaign. McKenna was besides a erstwhile worker of the consulting and lobbying steadfast DCI Group, according to records with the Federal Election Commission. A root acquainted with the statement said that steadfast besides has done enactment for LIV Golf.
DCI Group is not registered to enactment with LIV nether FARA, and the steadfast did not instrumentality requests for comment.
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