“The PGA was not loved by a lot of the players" - Donald Trump discusses his affinity towards LIV amidst lawsuit allegations

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating former President Donald Trump's connections with LIV Golf Tour, as part of a broader probe into his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

According to a report by The New York Times, prosecutors have subpoenaed the Trump Organization for records related to LIV Golf and its events at Trump-owned golf courses in New Jersey, Florida and Virginia.

LIV Golf, which was launched in 2022 by former golf star Greg Norman, has been criticized for, allegedly, being a tool for Saudi Arabia to improve its image and distract from its human rights abuses and alleged role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump has been a vocal supporter of the new cirucit and its generous payouts to players, while disparaging the PGA Tour for moving some of its tournaments away from his properties. He also praised Saudi Arabia as a longtime friend and investor in American companies. He participated in the pro-am events at his courses during the LIV Golf tournaments last year.

According to The New York Times, this was what Trump said about this topics in 2022:

“The PGA was not loved by a lot of the players, as you know, for a long time. Now they’ve got (the players) an alternative and nobody would have ever known there would be a gold rush like this.”

Another press media, The Palm Beach Post, reported in 2022 that Donald Trump spoke about the PGA Tour in the following terms:

"The PGA is being destroyed by the PGA. They were stupid and they shouldn't be stupid ... The tour mishandled it so badly and the people at the top, something should happen with them, they mishandled it so badly."

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Donald Trump and LIV Golf Tour

The connection between Trump and the new golf tour has also drawn the ire of some families of 9/11 victims and survivors, who sent a letter to Trump last year condemning him for hosting the Saudi-funded tour near New York City.

They quoted Trump's own words from 2016, when he said that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the 9/11 attacks and called for the release of classified documents that could implicate the kingdom.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Yasir al-Rumayyan, head of the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, at the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational (Image via Getty).

The Justice Department's investigation into Donald Trump's dealings with the tournament financially suported by Saudi Arabia is unclear. However, it suggests that prosecutors are looking into various aspects of his family business and whether he violated any laws or regulations regarding classified information.

The Department is also reportedly investigating the PGA Tour for possible antitrust violations against the new circuit.