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chairman donald trump Entertainment executive granted full pardon Timothy Leiweke on Thursday, just weeks after Leiweke reportedly had a round of golf at Mar-a-Lago with his lawyer, a former prosecutor and a former Republican congressman. tre goudy,
After 18 holes in Florida on Nov. 16, Trump reportedly asked Gowdy if he could help him with something, people familiar with the discussions said. wall street journal In an article published on Saturday.
That’s when Gowdy reportedly said he felt Leiweke was being treated unfairly in his case, due to Trump’s own Justice Department pushing for fair ticket pricing.
Three weeks after the alleged golf outing, Trump pardoned Leiweke.
“I’m extremely grateful that the President allowed me to raise that issue with him, and he’s the President, and whatever decision was made after that, he was elected to make that decision, not me,” Gowdy said. WSJ in an interview.
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White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the outlet: “President Trump is the final arbiter on any pardons or commutations and is exercising his constitutional authority to issue them as he deems necessary.”
Independent The White House has also been contacted for comment.
Trump’s pardon weakens his Justice Department’s criminal case against Leiweke over alleged $375 million rigging of the University of Texas basketball arena bid. It also hinders a related civil case targeting competition and price fixing at live events.
Leiweke was charged in June with allegedly rigging the $375 million bidding process University of TexasMoody Center grounds. He pleaded not guilty.
Leiweke faced up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for allegedly conspiring to get his company the arena contract.
Leiweke was accused of offering the business to prevent a company co-founded by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from bidding on the rights to the arena, with Live Nation CEO Irving Azoff, co-founder of his Oak View Group, acting as an intermediary.
Gowdy reportedly urged Trump to pressure the Justice Department to grant him a non-prosecution agreement similar to the one granted to Live Nation CEO Irving Azoff.
Azoff, who co-founded Oak View Group with Leiweke, acted as an intermediary for the rival company.
After receiving the pardon, Leiweke thanked Trump for his support via a phone call. WSJ Report. In an interview, he said he did not understand why he was charged and said he planned to start a new company and buy a sports team.
“I’m going to do it again,” Leiweke said, according to the outlet. “I’m not dead yet.”
Gowdy represented South Carolina’s 4th district from 2011 to 2019 and rose to prominence as chairman of the House Benghazi Committee. He left Congress in 2018 and has worked as a lawyer, Fox News contributor, and public-policy advocate. According to him, he also had a 3.4 golf handicap in 2023 golf digest,
Cleared of prosecution, Leiweke initially refused to assist the Justice Department on Wednesday, invoking his right against self-incrimination during testimony in a broader civil case against Live Nation. WSJ Report. According to the newspaper’s sources, he plans to cooperate once the judge formally dismisses the criminal case against him.
Concert ticket prices in the US have soared over the past decade, prompting the Justice Department to use antitrust measures to reduce them. Last year it had filed a 128-page application Lawsuit against Live Nation and TicketmasterThe merged company was accused of suppressing competition, retaliating against rivals and raising ticket prices.
Live Nation maintains that it does not have a monopoly, saying that artists and teams set ticket prices.