Several lawmakers took to social media to express their condolences for the four U.S. Marines who died during a NATO training exercise in Norway on Friday.
The identities of the four men were released on Sunday. They included Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky; Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, of Cambridge, Ohio; Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Massachusetts.
The four men belonged to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina, according to a <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/03/18/officials-marine-mv-22b-crashes-in-arctic-norway-rescue-teams-unable-to-reach-crash-site-by-air" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the Naval Institute.
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Marines Identify Four Killed in MV-22B Crash Site in Arctic Norway &#8211; USNI News<a href="https://t.co/INKNbW4Yvu">https://t.co/INKNbW4Yvu</a> <a href="https://t.co/8A4m1RP1ur">pic.twitter.com/8A4m1RP1ur</a>
&mdash; U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) <a href="https://twitter.com/NavalInstitute/status/1505717393301159941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I was saddened to learn that Cpl. Jacob Moore of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, was one of four Marines killed during NATO exercises in Norway Friday night. I am incredibly grateful for his service defending our nation’s freedom. My prayers are with his family in this difficult time,&#8221; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wrote.
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I was saddened to learn that Cpl. Jacob Moore of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, was one of four Marines killed during NATO exercises in Norway Friday night. I am incredibly grateful for his service defending our nation’s freedom. My prayers are with his family in this difficult time.
&mdash; Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderMcConnell/status/1505727307952099335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Praying for the family, friends, and community of Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz from Fort Wayne, Indiana, one of the four Marines who died on Friday in Norway during a NATO exercise when their aircraft crashed. We honor Capt. Tomkiewicz’s service and we’ll never forget his sacrifice,&#8221; Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun wrote.
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Praying for the family, friends, and community of Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz from Fort Wayne, Indiana, one of the four Marines who died on Friday in Norway during a NATO exercise when their aircraft crashed. We honor Capt. Tomkiewicz’s service and we’ll never forget his sacrifice.
&mdash; Senator Mike Braun (@SenatorBraun) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorBraun/status/1505734275102130182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We mourn the loss of four Marines who tragically perished during a training exercise in Norway, including Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne. We will never forget their sacrifice and service, and I offer my deepest condolences to their loved ones,&#8221; fellow Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young shared.
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We mourn the loss of four Marines who tragically perished during a training exercise in Norway, including Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne. We will never forget their sacrifice and service, and I offer my deepest condolences to their loved ones. <a href="https://t.co/0fkBXqGvMy">https://t.co/0fkBXqGvMy</a>
&mdash; Senator Todd Young (@SenToddYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenToddYoung/status/1505716096049029125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Heartbroken to learn that Captain Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster was one of the four U.S. Marines who died yesterday during a NATO training exercise crash. Massachusetts and the nation are praying for their families during this terrible time,&#8221; Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern wrote.
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Heartbroken to learn that Captain Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster was one of the four U.S. Marines who died yesterday during a NATO training exercise crash.
Massachusetts and the nation are praying for their families during this terrible time.<a href="https://t.co/ElaLQ8gg0f">https://t.co/ElaLQ8gg0f</a>
&mdash; Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMcGovern/status/1505707892963426305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Losing four brave, dedicated #NC03 service members is heartbreaking. As our @MCASNewRiver community mourns the fallen, and I ask that you pray for the loved ones impacted by this tragedy, and for all of our beloved service members serving overseas,&#8221; North Carolina Republican Rep. Greg Murphy shared.
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Losing four brave, dedicated <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NC03?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NC03</a> service members is heartbreaking. As our <a href="https://twitter.com/MCASNewRiver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MCASNewRiver</a> community mourns the fallen, and I ask that you pray for the loved ones impacted by this tragedy, and for all of our beloved service members serving overseas. <a href="https://t.co/ZhHVmww87u">https://t.co/ZhHVmww87u</a>
&mdash; Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (@RepGregMurphy) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepGregMurphy/status/1505874889189777415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Kay and I are praying for those who knew and loved Capt. Tomkiewicz, Capt. Reynolds, GySgt. Speedy and Cpl. Moore. We will forever remember and honor their service to the @USMC and to our nation,&#8221; Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe wrote.
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Kay and I are praying for those who knew and loved Capt. Tomkiewicz, Capt. Reynolds, GySgt. Speedy and Cpl. Moore. We will forever remember and honor their service to the <a href="https://twitter.com/USMC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USMC</a> and to our nation. <a href="https://t.co/rxkL8u1Zak">https://t.co/rxkL8u1Zak</a>
&mdash; Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimInhofe/status/1505696348976341003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Absolutely tragic. We are grieving the heartbreaking loss of these heroes and praying for their families. Endlessly grateful for the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make to keep us safe,&#8221; Iowa Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson tweeted.
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Absolutely tragic. 
We are grieving the heartbreaking loss of these heroes and praying for their families. 
Endlessly grateful for the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make to keep us safe. <a href="https://t.co/CHo6pVpS7S">https://t.co/CHo6pVpS7S</a>
&mdash; Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAshleyHinson/status/1505896902344249345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Heartbreaking loss. Praying for their families and the Marine Corps community who is grieving the loss of their brothers-in-arms,&#8221; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wrote.
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Heartbreaking loss. Praying for their families and the Marine Corps community who is grieving the loss of their brothers-in-arms. <a href="https://t.co/OZxDxbGeNR">https://t.co/OZxDxbGeNR</a>
&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1505731726991147008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-u-s-marines-killed-in-norway-nato-training-identified?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The four men were reported missing on Friday evening after failing to report back following a training mission in northern Norway, according to the statement. The incident involved an MV-22B Osprey.
“Norwegian search aircraft, including a rescue helicopter from the airbase and a Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, found a suspected crash site but could not reach the location by air and local rescue crews had to reach the site from the ground,” the report added.
“The four crew members have been retrieved from the accident site by a Sea King rescue helicopter from Norwegian 330 Squadron. The deceased will remain in Bodø until being transported back to the USA,” the Norwegian military said in a separate <a href="https://www.forsvaret.no/en/news/press/cr22-osprey-accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.</blockquote>

A flag flies at half staff.

Lawmakers React To The Four Marines Who Died In Norway NATO Training Exercise

James Inhofe

Marines

Mitch McConnell

Norway

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe announced his retirement on Friday, noting he will leave at the end of the year, setting off the need for a special election among a likely crowded field of GOP contenders.
Inhofe made the announcement official in a statement posted on social media Friday.
&#8220;It is bittersweet, but with a clear heart, that Kay and I announce that at the end of the year, I will retire from the United States Senate,&#8221; Inhofe said in the statement.
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It is bittersweet, but with a clear heart, that Kay and I announce that at the end of the year, I will retire from the United States Senate. 
My full statement below. <a href="https://t.co/nEDbmJJjEQ">pic.twitter.com/nEDbmJJjEQ</a>
&mdash; Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimInhofe/status/1497272076729827332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Going into public service was never in my plan. For years, Kay and I were focused on our family and building our business together. Then, one day, I need a dock permit. I had to visit 27 government offices to get a single dock permit, and realized if we wanted the government to work for the people, not against the people it was up to us to make a change,&#8221; he added.
Inhofe emphasized in his statement that the retirement announcement was not the &#8220;end of the road.&#8221;
&#8220;Today&#8217;s announcement is not the end of the road. I have work yet to do for Oklahomans over these next nine months, including passing the National Defense Authorization Act and holding the Biden administration accountable,&#8221; Inhofe said.
The senator concluded his retirement statement with gratitude for those who have supported him during his time in the Senate. Inhofe, 87, has served in his role since 1994.
&#8220;Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your vote over these many years. It has been an honor to serve you in the Senate,&#8221; Inhofe wrote.
Inhofe was last reelected in 2020, with his term to end in 2026. The new retirement announcement will set off a series of steps toward a special election for his seat in the strongly red state.
<div class="">
&#8220;Inhofe’s retirement is likely to set off a hard-fought scramble for the GOP nomination, with Gov. Kevin Stitt a potential front-running candidate,&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/25/sen-james-m-inhofe-conservative-critic-climate-change-says-he-will-retire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
</div>
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&#8220;Besides Holland, other possible candidates include Reps. Markwayne Mullin and Kevin Hern, former state House speaker T.W. Shannon and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell,&#8221; it added.
Inhofe&#8217;s retirement will also open up a seat for the leadership of the Senate&#8217;s Armed Forces Committee. Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is the next highest member of the committee, though it is uncertain who will take Inhofe&#8217;s spot. Part of the decision will also be determined by whether Republicans are able to take back the Senate majority following November&#8217;s elections.
The Oklahoma senator has most recently been noted in headlines regarding his thoughts on Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.
&#8220;For months, we’ve seen this coming &#8211; but Putin’s massive, shameful breach of international protocol is shocking and devastating nonetheless,&#8221; Inhofe released in a <a href="https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-statement-on-putins-escalating-invasion-in-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Thursday.
&#8220;While I am continuing to monitor the situation as events unfold, I believe it is in our country’s best interest to respond strongly &#8211; by providing additional defensive aid to continue to help our Ukrainian friends defend themselves and by sending additional resources to our troops in Eastern Europe who are working alongside our NATO allies to deter this aggression from spreading further; and by imposing the most severe economic costs on Putin and his inner circle for this grave misstep. To be clear: Putin’s ambitions won’t stop with Ukraine &#8211; unless America and our allies stop Putin,&#8221; he added.
</div>

Jim Inhofe

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe Announces Early Retirement

Oklahoma

Vice President Mike Pence is furious with President Donald Trump over the way the president has handled his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, according to a Republican senator.
Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma had a “long conversation” with Pence on Tuesday night, a day before pro-Trump rioters broke into the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in protest of the election results. Inhofe relayed that Pence felt a sense of betrayal from the president after he attacked him over the Electoral College certification.
“I’ve known Mike Pence forever,” Inhofe said Tuesday night, according to <a href="https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/inhofe-ive-never-seen-mike-pence-as-angry-as-he-was-today/article_439af4ae-5082-11eb-96b1-53cf9e218598.html">Tulsa World</a>. “I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was today.”
“I had a long conversation with him,” Inhofe added. “He said, ‘After all the things I’ve done for [Trump].’”
Pence’s anger at the president is likely to not have abated on Wednesday after the president ramped up pressure on Pence calling for him to refuse to certify Biden’s election victory. Congress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-formally-certifies-joe-bidens-electoral-college-victory">certified Biden’s victory</a> early Thursday morning with Pence presiding over the joint session.
On Wednesday evening, Inhofe said that Trump should have done more after rioting among his supporters broke out in the Capitol. Four people died in the riot, including one woman who was shot by police.
“This was really a riot. He should have shown more disdain for the rioters. I don’t want to say he should have apologized — that’s not exactly accurate — but he should have expressed more disdain,” Inhofe said.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed that “the Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors,” an assertion against which Pence had reportedly pushed back. On Wednesday, Pence sent a <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Pence/status/1346879811151605762">letter</a> to Congress publicly rejecting Trump’s claims that the vice president could reject the electors.
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” Pence wrote.
Later on Wednesday, Trump continued his attacks on the vice president, saying in a tweet, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving states the chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”
The president’s tweet was later removed by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/twitter-suspends-president-trump-after-multiple-alleged-violations">Twitter</a> for allegedly violating the platform’s terms of service. The social media company also locked the president’s account for 12 hours. Twitter said in a statement: “As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.”
“This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” the statement continued. “Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”

Mike Pence

Pence Reportedly Furious With Trump: GOP Senator Says Vice President Never ‘As Angry As He Was Today’

Donald Trump

Electoral College

The Department of Justice has closed insider trading investigations into three of four United States senators who made major stock trades in the period of time between the coronavirus outbreak spreading through Wuhan, China, and the American economy tanking. 
According to The Wall Street Journal, federal prosecutors informed Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), James Inhofe (R-OK) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) that the investigation into their financial trades would be closing. 
Loeffler, who is running for Senate against Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA), praised the development as a “clear exoneration,” calling the criticism of her stock activities a “politically-motivated attack promoted by the fake news media and my political opponents.”
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Today’s clear exoneration affirms what I’ve said all along: I did nothing wrong.
This was a politically-motivated attack promoted by the fake news media and my political opponents. I’m continuing to focus my full attention on results for Georgia. <a href="https://t.co/F9vdoypIvd">https://t.co/F9vdoypIvd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gapol</a>
— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) <a href="https://twitter.com/KLoeffler/status/1265390782082473984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
Inhofe made a statement to <a href="https://oklahoman.com/article/5663204/inhofe-says-justice-department-has-cleared-him-in-stock-sale-inquiry">The Oklahoman</a> on Tuesday afternoon indicating that he had been cleared, a conclusion to the investigation that he long anticipated. 
“As I’ve said all along, I wasn’t even at the briefing and do not make my own stock trades,” Inhofe told the news agency. “I did nothing wrong, and I’m pleased the Justice Department has exonerated me.”
The Journal reports that a spokesperson for Senator Feinstein did not have an “immediate comment.” When the first reports on the stock trading emerged, Feinstein <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFeinstein/status/1241010796496330752">maintained</a> that she keeps her assets in a blind trust and doesn’t have any input in her husband’s financial decisions, which are also reported to the Senate under U.S. law. 
However, officials &#8220;familiar with the matter&#8221; told The Journal that the investigation into Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, will continue. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-senate-intelligence-chairman-steps-away-from-role-amidst-stock-trade-investigation">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Burr stepped down as chairman of the intelligence committee after his phone was taken by federal agents who served him with a warrant. He told reporters that he was stepping down as a temporary measure, so as to not distract from the “hard work of the committee.”
Information about Burr’s stock activities was unearthed in late March by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/senator-dumped-up-to-1-7-million-of-stock-after-reassuring-public-about-coronavirus-preparedness">ProPublica</a>, which reported that the senator and his wife “sold off a significant percentage of his stocks” over the course of 33 transactions in a single day. The trades amounted to between $628,000 and $1.72 million, reports the news agency.
Burr has <a href="https://apnews.com/27957dd84cbfaba7c8c26cd354711956">denied wrongdoing</a>, and maintains that his financial decisions were based on publicly available information. The Journal reports that Burr’s actions could be protected under the Constitution, citing a former federal prosecutor who specializes in public corruption cases. 
“Insider-trading cases are often based on the use of inside information obtained through corporate channels,” Justin Shur, the prosecutor, told The Journal. “The allegations here, however, are based on the use of information obtained through legislative channels.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

President Trump Joins GOP Senators At Policy Luncheon On Capitol Hill

Report: Feds Drop Pre-Lockdown Insider Trading Investigation For Three Of Four U.S. Senators

Department of Justice

Dianne Feinstein

Kelly Loeffler

Richard Burr

On Monday, seven GOP senators sent a <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/sites/default/files/Letter%20to%20UN%20SecGen.pdf">blistering letter</a> to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opposing the appointment of the Minister of the Chinese Mission in Geneva to the U.N. Human Rights Council Consultative Group.
Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz from Texas, Macro Rubio from Florida, James Inhofe from Oklahoma, Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee, Kevin Cramer from North Dakota, and Martha McSally from Arizona fired off a missive stating, “The Chinese government&#8217;s decision to deceive the international community about the grave dangers of the initial 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, violates any credibility on human rights and should disqualify them from a position on the Human Rights Council Consultative Group.”
They continued, “Through intimidation of its medical first responders, censorship of online forums, and threats of severe punishment for anyone who dared to speak out with the truth, the Chinese Communist Party engaged in its most egregious human rights abuse: the unchecked spread of a new and dangerous virus on an unwitting global population.” They concluded, “all member states to condemn in strongest terms the human rights violations committed by Chinese Communist Party.”
The issue was brought to the fore by Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, which monitors the U.N. Human Rights Council and has championed the rights of victims in China, who <a href="https://unwatch.org/china-joins-u-n-human-rights-panel-will-help-pick-experts-on-free-speech-health-arbitrary-detention/">stated</a>, “Allowing China’s oppressive and inhumane regime to choose the world investigators on freedom of speech, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief. It’s absurd and immoral for the UN to allow China’s oppressive government a key role in selecting officials who shape international human rights standards and report on violations worldwide.”
The full text of the senators’ letter is below:
<blockquote>We write to express our profound disappointment and opposition to the appointment of Jiang Duan, Minister of the Chinese Mission in Geneva, to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Consultative Group. As you know, in this position, Jiang will provide China with the opportunity to play a central role in picking at least 17 human rights investigators, including those who look at freedom of speech, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention, rights abuses which the Chinese regime routinely perpetrates.
The Chinese government&#8217;s decision to deceive the international community about the grave dangers of the initial 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, violates any credibility on human rights and should disqualify them from a position on the Human Rights Council Consultative Group. Through intimidation of its medical first responders, censorship of online forums, and threats of severe punishment for anyone who dared to speak out with the truth, the Chinese Communist Party engaged in its most egregious human rights abuse: the unchecked spread of a new and dangerous virus on an unwitting global population. Chinese government actions in the early days of the outbreak are not commensurate to influencing a council responsible for upholding human rights throughout the world. Even now, China withholds critical information about the spread and death toll of the virus and continues to silence and intimidate its critics.
In addition to its willful deceit and gross negligence regarding its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, China is guilty of widespread and well-documented cases of human rights abuses targeting the Uyghur Muslim community in Xinjiang province. Over one million Chinese Uyghurs sit in so-called re-education camps against their will, in what can only be described as ethnic cleansing on an industrial scale and millions more are treated as second-class citizens in their own country at the hands of the regime in Beijing. It is tragic such terrible crimes against humanity can be committed by a power wanting to be seen as a responsible international actor, and even more egregious such behavior can be rewarded.
The UN was created following the most devastating conflict humanity had ever endured and to safeguard against repeating the most aw l crimes ever perpetrated. We must expect more om its leadership and from its member states. China should not occupy a position of prestige or influence on the UN Human Rights Council while it engages in human rights violations of the worst kind both at home and abroad. We implore you to intervene on behalf of our shared values of freedom and dignity by suspending Jiang&#8217;s appointment to the Human Rights Council Consultative Group, and to implore all member states to condemn in strongest terms the human rights violations committed by Chinese Communist Party.
 </blockquote>

President Trump Awards Medal Of Honor To U.S. Army Master Sgt Matthew Williams

Cruz, Rubio, 5 Other GOP Senators Blast U.N. Appointing China To Council Overseeing Human Rights Investigators

China

John Cornyn

Marco Rubio

Marsha Blackburn

Martha McSally

Ted Cruz

United Nations

Four U.S. senators — one Democrat and three Republicans — have come under fire after multiple reports detailing their significant stock sell-offs prior to the coronavirus-caused stock market crash.
Senate financial disclosure records show that ranking Senate Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senate Intelligence Chair Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Sen. James Inhoffe (R-OK) all sold off sizable amounts of stocks ahead of the market plummeting amid fears of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to federal <a href="https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/home/">records</a>, Sen. Feinstein and her husband sold &#8220;between $1.5 million to $6 million worth of stock in Allogene Therapeutics, a California-based biotech company, in transactions that took place on Jan. 31 and Feb. 18.,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/politics/richard-burr-stocks-sold-coronavirus.html">The New York Times</a>, reported Thursday.
A spokesman for the senator told the Times that Feinstein had &#8220;no involvement&#8221; in the sell-off. &#8220;All of Senator Feinstein’s assets are in a blind trust,&#8221; spokesman Tom Mentzer told the paper. &#8220;She has no involvement in her husband’s financial decisions.&#8221;
Federal disclosure <a href="http://pfds.opensecrets.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Burr_PTR_0202020-rotated%20%281%29.pdf">records</a> show that Sen. Burr and his wife sold 33 different stocks on Feb. 13 that were worth in total $628,000 to $1.7 million, including &#8220;as much as $150,000 worth of stock in two hotel chains, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Extended Stay America,&#8221; the Times notes. The senator also sold $65,000 worth of stock in Park Hotels &amp; Resorts. Hotel and resort values have markedly declined amid the crisis.
Sen. Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, likewise sold hundreds of thousands-worth of stocks ahead of the crash. Loeffler &#8220;reported the first sale of stock jointly owned by her and her husband on Jan. 24, the very day that her committee, the Senate Health Committee, hosted a private, all-senators briefing from administration officials, including the CDC director and Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on the coronavirus,&#8221; <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly-loeffler-dumped-millions-in-stock-after-coronavirus-briefing">The Daily Beast</a> reported Thursday.
&#8220;That first transaction was a sale of stock in the company Resideo Technologies valued at between $50,001 and $100,000,&#8221; the outlet reports. Over the next few days, the two made a total of 29 stock transactions, including one purchase &#8220;worth between $100,000 and $250,000 in Citrix, a technology company that offers teleworking software and which has seen a small bump in its stock price since Loeffler bought in as a result of coronavirus-induced market turmoil.&#8221;
In response to reports on the transactions, Loeffler tweeted Friday, &#8220;This is a ridiculous and baseless attack. I do not make investment decisions for my portfolio. Investment decisions are made by multiple third-party advisors without my or my husband&#8217;s knowledge or involvement. As confirmed in the periodic transaction report to Senate Ethics, I was informed of these purchases and sales on February 16, 2020 — three weeks after they were made.&#8221;
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As confirmed in the periodic transaction report to Senate Ethics, I was informed of these purchases and sales on February 16, 2020 — three weeks after they were made.
&mdash; Senator Kelly Loeffler (@SenatorLoeffler) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLoeffler/status/1240856942433767425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Disclosure <a href="https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/home/">records</a> show that Sen. Inhofe also sold hundreds of thousands in stocks, all of the transactions taking place on Jan. 27. The sales totaled as much as $400,000 and included holdings in PayPal, Apple and real estate company Brookfield Asset Management, the Times reports.
In its report on the financial actions of the four senators, the Times focuses more attention on Burr&#8217;s actions than the other senators in part because of his role as chairman of the Intelligence Committee and because of his clashing public and private statements:
<blockquote>
The stocks were sold in mid-February, days after Mr. Burr, Republican of North Carolina and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, wrote an <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/coronavirus-prevention-steps-the-u-s-government-is-taking-to-protect-you-sen-alexander-and-sen-burr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opinion article</a> for Fox News suggesting that the United States was “better prepared than ever before” to confront the virus. At least three other senators sold major stock holdings around the same time, disclosure records show.
Two weeks after Mr. Burr sold his stocks, he spoke <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="http://www.northcarolinasociety.org/events/2020/2/27/thc-luncheon-with-sen-richard-burr-r-nc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington</a> to a nonpartisan group called the Tar Heel Club, warning that the virus could soon cause a major disruption in the United States.
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-eyes-higher-amount-for-stimulus-checks-to-americans-who-qualifies">Senate Eyes Higher Amount For Stimulus Checks To Americans. Who Qualifies?</a>

Four Senators Under Fire After Selling Off Stocks Before Coronavirus Crash

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