Trump defends hosting Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour amid backlash from 9/11 families

In advance of teeing off on Thursday, previous President Donald Trump defended hosting a controversial Saudi-backed golf tournament at his Bedminster club in New Jersey, just 50 miles from Ground Zero.

“Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, regretably. And they should have,” he advised ESPN. 

Last September, an FBI report showed evidence that two Saudi officials provided help to at the very least two of the 9/11 terrorists. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers have been Saudi nationals. 

Trump praised the LIV Golf tour, which is backed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — who, U.S. intelligence officials concluded in 2018, approved the murder of Washington Article columnist Jamal Khashoggi. 

“I have identified these individuals for a extensive time in Saudi Arabia and they have been buddies of mine for a lengthy time,” Trump mentioned. 

LIV Golfing introduced this summer time and is poaching stars from the PGA Tour by having to pay them big charges for joining and huge payouts for profitable. The winner of this week’s event will be awarded $4 million — just about $1.5 million additional than the Masters Tournament’s top rated prize. 

Earlier this 7 days, 9/11 families introduced an ad that mentioned, “I am under no circumstances going to forgive the golfers for taking this blood income.” 

Dennis McGinley, whose brother died at the Planet Trade Middle, reported he was shocked to study that Trump’s golf training course would host the LIV tournament. 

“It really is anger further than comprehension,” McGinley informed CBS News. “This has been a David-compared to-Goliath fight. I just desire these golfers, the athletics icons, a former president would stand with the Davids and not with the Goliath.” 

On Wednesday night, Trump and former initial woman Melania Trump partied with some of the LIV gamers, together with Dustin Johnson, whose claimed contracts are upwards of $100 million each individual. When asked for confirmation, LIV Golfing told CBS News, “We do not comment on private contracts.” 

But for McGinley and some others who missing loved ones on 9/11, the suffering is even now uncooked. 

“The 9/11 group has had to increase a actually thick pores and skin over the very last 21 several years,” he claimed. “This is this sort of a kick in the gut, a ripping open up of the wound yet again.”