Jimmy Dunne’s most emotional testimony at the Senate hearing on Tuesday about the framework agreement between the PGA Tour of Saudi Arabia and the Public Investment Fund did not have anything to do with golf.
Dunne and Ron Price, the PGA Tour chief operating officer who was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board in the past year, appeared before the Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, March 19, to defend the deal that the PIF has with LIV Golf. Dunne, who is the chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and chairs Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn. ), was asked late in the hearings by Blumenthal if he had any words for the 9/11 families attending the hearing.
Dunne stated: “Senator I will repeat what I told my children on September 12, 2001, that we must pursue anyone involved in any way, or who has profited with extreme prejudice. We should do this to the fullest extent and capacity.”
“If someone commits a crime, then you must go after them.” Dunne continued, “For this crime it’s death”, before taking a moment to gather his emotions.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan credits Dunne as the president of Seminole Golf Club for sealing the deal which led to LIV Golf and the Tour joining forces.
Dunne is vice-chairman of Piper Sandler and the senior managing principal. The company, which specializes in financial services and investment banking, has a heavy focus on mergers and purchases.
Piper Sandler was located on the 104th level of the South Tower at the World Trade Center, when terrorists struck the U.S. in 1992. Dunne played golf to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur that day, a move he said saved his own life. 66 employees of his company died.
Saudi Arabians made up 15 of the 19 hijackers that commanded planes that killed more than 3,000 people at four different locations.
Dunne, who has worked with 9/11 families, once said: ” If someone can find someone unambiguously involved in (9/11), then I will kill them myself.
Dunne, in explaining his role in a deal where the PIF is contributing more than $1 billion towards a new entity controlled by the PGA Tour has reiterated that the people involved in LIV, including Yasir al-Rumayyan the governor of the kingdom’s sovereign fund, have nothing to do 9/11. Dunne was the one who made contact with Al-Rumayyan in order to start the talks.
Dunne stated, “I believe that both President Bush and President Obama, as well as our military and brilliant, brilliant Seals (Navy), did their jobs and that anyone involved in that case has done justice.”
Dunne said he would not discriminate because someone shares the same religious beliefs or looks like these attackers. This is something he taught his children.
Dunne stated that it was important for them to know that just because someone shares the same skin tone or religion as those criminals who were involved in the 9/11 attacks, doesn’t mean that we hate them. “That we were raised in America with different values.” We look at things in a different way.
Dunne told a story about how one of his children said that he had “never heard me make a negative comment about… any Middle Easterner or Muslim, or religion for that matter.” I am very proud of this.
“I think that our Special Services have done their job. They deserve my gratitude. I won’t describe another group of people just because they share a common religion or skin tone. I won’t do that at all.”
LIV Golf has been the subject of several protests by 9/11 survivors, 9/11 Families United members, and family members of those killed in the attacks. They were outraged by the PGA Tour’s deal with PIF and called the Tour “paid Saudi shills.”
A group of 9/11 Families United members attended the hearing on Tuesday wearing red caps with “9/11 Justice” written on them. One of these individuals presented Dunne papers while he was discussing Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the attacks.
Dunne has agreed to meet with members of the group who requested it.
