On Wednesday, ABC News reported that a Republican National Committee official told that news outlet that the RNC would stop paying legal bills for Trump as soon as he announces he is a candidate, “because the party has a ‘neutrality policy’ that prohibits it from taking sides in the presidential primary.”
ABC noted that since October, the RNC has paid almost $2 million to law firms that represent Trump in lawsuits filed against him, and investigations by government entities.
This weekend’s event at Trump’s New Jersey golf club has generated controversy on multiple fronts.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf is challenging the PGA Tour’s dominance in professional golf, which has led the PGA to suspend more than 20 players from its events for participating in LIV events without receiving releases for “conflicting event and media rights.”
LIV Golf also has been accused of being yet another “sports-wash” effort by the Saudi Arabia to improve its international reputation, which has suffered for decades because of internal government repression and human rights abuses.
Trump, who is from New York City, has been strongly criticized in recent weeks by families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks for hosting the Saudi-backed event at his club.
Of the 19 hijackers of four planes that day, 15 were Saudi nationals. Two of the planes that were hijacked slammed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, which collapsed soon afterward. The Saudi government has long denied connection to the attacks.
“How much money to turn your back on your own country?” asked a woman in an ad created by 9/11 survivors and relatives and directed at Trump that began airing this week.
The ad also features a man saying, “This golf tournament is taking place 50 miles from Ground Zero.”
When asked about that Thursday, Donald Trump replied, “Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have.”
But six years ago, during his first White House run, Trump said on an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox Friends:” “Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasn’t the Iraqis, it was Saudi — take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents.”
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/29/donald-trump-in-2024-son-teases-election-run-with-golf-bag-at-saudi-event.html