Families of those killed on 9/11 protest LIV Golf tournament at Trump course in Bedminster over ties to Saudi Arabia
BEDMINSTER, N.J. -- The controversial LIV Golf league kicked off a tournament Friday at the Trump golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Families of those killed on 9/11 have been protesting the Saudi-funded league because of the country's ties to the attacks.
Dozens of families and survivors were at the Trump National Golf Club to peacefully protest. They said the golfers and the former president are getting rich off blood money, CBS2's Nick Caloway reported.
"The utter, disgusting stench of that blood money is sure to follow you all the rest of your days," said Jay Winnick, whose brother was killed on 9/11.
"We're standing here in the backyard of where 750 people were turned to dust," said Brett Eagleson from 9/11 Justice. "And the reason we're doing that is because we need to speak out about what the kingdom did."
"Only these people know what it's like," said Richard Tipaldi, who lost his son Frank on 9/11. "It's 21 years already, and it's like yesterday."
"This adds insult to injury," former New Jersey resident Connie Sellitto said. "He is not just allowing them but welcoming the Saudi-involved golf league."
"I hope to compare and contrast what it means to be a hero and a coward," another person added.
Watch: Family whose father died on 9/11 speaks out
In September, an FBI report showed evidence that two Saudi officials provided support to at least two of the 9/11 terrorists. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump said, "Nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately."
Many of the protesters said they were once Trump supporters.
"I was a supporter of Trump, because I believed in his thought process of 'Make America Great Again,'" Tipaldi said.
Eddie Bracken, who lost his 36-year-old sister in the attacks, said he's disappointed in the former president.
"He knows exactly what the Saudis did and why they did it. It's an act of war on America," said Bracken, who is from Tottenville, Staten Island. "You know it happened, and you'll never be voted in again by me or any of my family members."
The Saudi-funded league has been poaching PGA stars with huge contracts. Some are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In a statement, LIV said, in part, "While some may not agree, we believe golf is a force for good around the world."
That offers little solace to Juliette Scauso, whose father, a firefighter, died saving lives in 9/11.
"You know, I was 4 and a half when my father was murdered," Scauso said. "My father wasn't the type of person who could be bought, and I just want you to know that if you were there that day, my father would have run in to save you without a second thought."
Other family members and survivors said the best thing Americans can do to protest LIV Golf is to simply not watch and let it fail.
Trump said this tournament brings in higher salaries than others and even called it a gold rush. The winner gets $4 million, nearly $1.5 million more than the top prize at The Masters.
