Benjamin Quayle, the son of former US vice president Dan Quayle and a former congressman from Arizona, is facing allegations of ‘sportswashing’ Saudi human rights abuses by lobbying for a Saudi-owned golf company.
According to a report by Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a human rights organization founded by the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Quayle and his lobbying firm Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures (HHQ) are representing LIV Golf, a company owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
The report claims that Quayle and HHQ have failed to register their work for LIV Golf with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as lobbyists for a foreign government, as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and to acknowledge serving the interests of a foreign entity in their Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) filings with the US Congress.
The report also accuses Quayle and HHQ of ‘sportswashing’ Saudi Arabia’s human rights record by promoting LIV Golf’s interests in the US, omitting crucial information about Saudi Arabia’s unlawful, dangerous, and destabilizing abuses, and helping to divert attention from MBS’s personal involvement in the murder of Khashoggi and other crimes.
‘Sportswashing’ is a term used to describe the practice of investing or hosting sporting events in a bid to improve the image and reputation of a country or entity that is accused of human rights violations or other misconduct.
LIV Golf is part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plan to become a global sports hub, as part of its Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy and society. The company has been involved in organizing and sponsoring several golf tournaments in Saudi Arabia and abroad, such as the Saudi International, the Asian Tour, and the Ladies European Tour.
LIV Golf has also been trying to challenge the dominance of the PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the US, by offering lucrative deals to top players and creating a rival Super Golf League. However, many players and golf officials have expressed their concerns about LIV Golf’s links to the Saudi government and its human rights record.
According to DAWN’s report, Quayle and HHQ have registered as lobbyists for LIV Golf under the LDA on August 1, 2022, but did not register them as foreign agents under FARA. The report says that this is a violation of FARA rules, which require any person who acts as an agent or representative of a foreign principal in a political or quasi-political capacity to register with the DOJ and disclose their activities and finances.
The report also says that Quayle and HHQ have misled Congress, the Biden administration, and the American public by not acknowledging the foreign interests they serve and reporting on their activities benefiting those foreign interests, as required by law. The report cites several examples of Quayle’s lobbying efforts for LIV Golf, such as contacting members of Congress and their staff, arranging meetings with US officials, writing op-eds and letters to media outlets, and attending events sponsored by LIV Golf.
The report calls on the DOJ to investigate Quayle and HHQ for apparent violations of FARA rules and to hold them accountable for their role in ‘sportswashing’ Saudi abuses. The report also urges Congress to pass legislation that would strengthen FARA enforcement and close loopholes that allow foreign agents to evade registration.
“Ben Quayle and his partners at HHQ have chosen to contribute to and benefit from the Saudi government’s gross human rights abuses by lobbying for the Saudi PIF-owned LIV Golf,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN’s executive director. “They have misled Congress, the Biden administration, and the American public by not acknowledging the foreign interests they serve and reporting on their activities benefiting those foreign interests, as required by law.”
