PGA board member Jimmy Dunne DEFENDS Saudis saying those he works with ‘had nothing to do with’ 9/11

PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne, the man that brokered the deal between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the Tour, made a bold statement regarding the PIF and Saudi Arabia’s connection to the September 11th attacks.

Speaking on Golf Channel, Dunne gave an emotional response about the Saudi connection to the terrorist attacks and promised that if someone found a person ‘unequivocally’ involved in 9/11, he would ‘kill them myself.’

‘Every day, the first thing that I think about is [September 11]; several times during the day, I think about it; and the last thing I think about at night is that,’ Dunne began. 

‘That has not changed since that day. And I’m not alone in that. I would guarantee that every one of those family members has that same condition. It is just a reality of how unbelievably sad and awful that day was. 

‘I understand that. And I am quite certain — and I have had conversations with a lot of very knowledgeable people — that the people I’m dealing with had nothing to do with it. 

‘If someone can find someone that unequivocally was involved with it, I’ll kill them myself. We don’t have to wait around.’

Dunne said that the ‘people I’m dealing with had nothing to do with’ the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Dunne continued, saying, ‘But the reality of it is, is that we need to come together as a people. We have too much divisiveness. 

‘And at some point in time — whether it’s our view of the Japanese, or our view of the Germans — there is a point in time where you have to say, let’s try to get to know one another. Let’s try to understand, let’s try to demonstrate by example. 

‘Now, I’m not taking a stance on any country, and whatever their positions on what I’m trying to say is, I believe that we should not run away from our differences. And we should get to know each other and basically make it difficult, so that we don’t have to have a family deal with what we dealt with 20 plus years ago. 

‘As awful as it was for me, it was way worse for other people. I can’t imagine [voice cracks] … if one of my children were involved. SO I have a real empathy about it, but I’d like to do something about it. 

‘And I’d like to make sure that some other poor guy who just goes to work one day, doesn’t have to go through what we went through. It starts with communicating with people all around the world, and I’d like to do my part with that.’

Dunne, an investment banker, helped to co-found Sandler O’Neill and Partners – a company located on the 104th floor in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

He was attempting to qualify for the US Mid-Amateur on September 11, 2001 when the attacks occurred – resulting in the deaths of 66 of his employees.

9/11 Families United – a coalition of families and survivors of the attacks – released a statement in response to the proposed merger of the PGA, LIV, and the DP World Tour. 

Dunne (R) was playing golf when his employees were in the South Tower, with 66 dying

9/11 Families United released a statement criticizing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan

In particular, they targeted PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, whose defense of his golf circuit often involved holding a moral high ground by not being tied to the Saudi government. 

‘PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan co-opted the 9/11 community last year in the PGA’s unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sportswashing of Saudi Arabia’s reputation,’ said the organization’s chair, Terry Strada. 

‘But now the PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation so that Americans and the world will forget how the Kingdom spent their billions of dollars before 9/11 to fund terrorism, spread their vitriolic hatred of Americans, and finance al Qaeda and the murder of our loved ones. Make no mistake – we will never forget. 

‘Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV Golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour. 

‘They do now – as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed. 

‘Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honor the great game of golf.’

Al-Rumayyan is now clearly the most powerful man in golf as three tours are set to merge

The agreed upon merger will see the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour all under the purview of the Saudi PIF – governed by Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Dunne and Ed Herlihy, the chairman of the PGA Tour policy board, helped to broker the deal between the PGA and the PIF to merge the golf circuits.

Monahan will operate as CEO of the combined leagues with Al-Rumayyan as chairman and Dunne and Herlihy on the board.

Dunne is a member at a number of prestigious golf clubs – including Augusta National and Shinnecock Hills – and he’s also the president of Seminole Golf Club in Florida.