President Donald Trump attempted to wield his political influence to get the prestigious British Open golf tournament hosted at his Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, The New York Times reported Tuesday .

Trump in 2018 reportedly asked the U.S. ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson , to see if the British government could help steer the televised event to the money-losing course bought by The Trump Organization in 2014, according to the newspaper, which cited three unnamed sources.

Johnson reportedly ignored ethics concerns raised by his then-deputy, Lewis Lukens, and floated the idea with the secretary of state for Scotland, David Mundell, per the Times. Lukens later reportedly flagged the request with State Department officials. He was later forced out of his role at the U.S. embassy in London after telling a positive anecdote about former President Barack Obama during a speech, reported the Times.

Mundell declined to comment on his dealings with Johnson, according to the Times. He referred the paper to a British government statement that said Johnson made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event.