Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) asked the Senate Ethics Committee on Friday to probe stock sales he made earlier this year after receiving briefings on the CCP virus.
The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mishandling allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sold between $628,000 and $1.7 million of his stocks on Feb. 13.
In a letter (pdf) to Ethics Chairman Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Burr said that he “relied solely on public reporting to guide my decision to sell the stock.”
An independent review, though, “is warranted to ensure full and complete transparency,” he added.
The public reports include a health and science report from CNBCs Asia bureaus, Burr said in a statement.
Lankford hasnt announced whether a probe will be conducted, nor has Ethics Ranking Member Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Neither returned requests for comment.
Burr has faced calls to resign, including from Democratic lawmakers and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Other senators—including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)—also sold stocks earlier this year after receiving briefings on the virus, according to disclosure forms.
The lawmakers have claimed they didnt sell the stocks themselves.
Feinstein said in a statement that her assets are in a blind trust of which she has no control.
“Under Senate rules I report my husbands financial transactions. I have no input into his decisions. My husband in January and February sold shares of a cancer therapy company. This company is unrelated to any work on the coronavirus and the sale was unrelated to the situation,” she said.
Loeffler responded to stories aboRead More – Source
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