Matt Gaetz SLAMS North Carolina’s Richard Burr After Insider Trading Scandal

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Mar 30, 2020

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz brutally slammed North Carolina Senator Richard Burr in a Monday tweet, taking Burr to task for his involvement in an insider trading scandal that has merited him rebuke from commentators and political figures from across partisan and ideological lines.

Gaetz likened Senator Burr to a historical figure sharing his namesake, Aaron Burr. Gaetz compared Burr’s infamous shooting of Alexander Hamilton in a New Jersey duel to a metaphorical shooting of the Republican Party’s credibility on behalf of the modern-day Burr.

Gaetz had earlier taken aim at Burr for his involvement in the insider trading scandal, expressing his opinion that the Senate Intelligence Committee Chair had used his position for gainful financial information.

Senator Burr had sold a significant amount of stock shares in the weeks preceding the global Chinese coronavirus epidemic, and it’s alleged he had been briefed on the dangerous nature of the epidemic before the public was fully aware of its highly contagious nature. He’s currently being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for his stock exchange sales in the weeks preceding the virus’ spread in America.

Burr began selling off stocks on February 13th, ultimately going on to liquidate $1.3 million of company shares.

Burr isn’t the only Senator who is suspected of potential insider trading in the weeks before the virus largely tanked the stock market. Georgia’s Kelly Loefler, California’s Dianne Feinstein, Oklahoma’s James Inhofe, and Georgia’s David Purdue all sold stocks in January and February, avoiding personal financial losses as a result of the virus’ impact on the economy.

Sources close to President Trump suggest that he would prefer for Burr to resign in light of the situation. Tucker Carlson called for Burr’s resignation in a scathing segment earlier this month.