A research accident in China was the most likely cause of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-judges-refreshing-common-sense-ruling-rejecting-new-york-citys-covid-vax-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 outbreak</a>, according to a report <a href="https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/report_an_analysis_of_the_origins_of_covid-19_102722.pdf">released</a> by Senate Republicans Thursday.
The Republican staff of the Senate Committee On Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, studied medical literature and other publicly available material for 15 months and found numerous problems with the idea that the disease jumped naturally from bats to humans, as well as numerous reasons to suspect a problem at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIF).
However, it said because of secrecy by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paypals-scheme-to-sanction-users-for-misinformation-tied-to-chinese-contractor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> government, it may be impossible to prove conclusively.
Based on previous similar epidemics such as SARS and MERS, for a virus to jump from an animal like bats to humans, it would typically first mutate enough to “circulate in an intermediate host to increase the virus’ chances of being able to infect and replicate in humans,” the report said. But there is no evidence of such an intermediate host.
“While it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a bat virus, most likely one found in horseshoe bats residing in Southern China or Southeast Asia, it remains unknown how SARS-CoV-2 traveled more than 1,000 miles from Southern China or Southeast Asia before emerging in Wuhan,” it said.
As the virus mutates in ways that allow it to jump species, there are usually failed attempts—in which the virus manages to jump but still cannot replicate once in the new host—that leave behind evidence which can be documented. But that hasn’t been seen in humans or other animals, it said.
Additionally, if some animal species was harboring <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-vs-red-2022-test-scores-show-devastating-toll-of-school-shutdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19</a>, it would be expected for multiple different humans to separately become infected from animal contact, setting off distinct infection chains, as happened with the H7N9 Avian Influenza. There is no evidence of people continuing to catch COVID disease from bats, the report said.
The Chinese government initially claimed that COVID came from a &#8220;natural zoonotic transmission occurring at the Huanan Seafood Market&#8221;&#8211;among other claims such as that the U.S. engineered the virus. While many of the earliest documented cases had a nexus to the seafood market, there was a self-fulfilling prophesy: The criteria the Chinese government initially used for counting a case of the new disease required that the person not only have respiratory symptoms, but also have been connected to the seafood market.
The virus was found on surfaces at the seafood market, but &#8220;according to presentations made to the World Health Organization (WHO) by PRC government officials and scientists in early 2020, none of the animals at the market when it was closed, in the market’s supply chain, or in China’s animal farming industry were infected with SARS-CoV-2,&#8221; it said.
Additionally, the people who were infected by COVID after going to the market all had nearly identical strains of the virus, whereas if it was a new disease jumping from animals to people, one would expect to see various mutations.
&#8220;Early SARS-CoV-2 variants had little genetic diversity and were closely related to each other, differing by only two nucleotides out of approximately 29,900 nucleotides,&#8221; the report said.
Meanwhile, there are reasons to believe that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIF)&#8211;located in close proximity to the seafood market&#8211;was conducting highly related research with poor controls.
An accident associated with such work would be far from unprecedented: The previous SARS virus escaped from Chinese labs four times, the H1N1 virus is believed to have been the result of an incident in Soviet Union or Chinese labs, and the American government once had an incident with the &#8220;highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of influenza.&#8221;
&#8220;The WIV collected more than 15,000 bat-related samples around the time the pandemic began. Of these, the WIV had identified more than 220 SARS-related coronaviruses, at least 100 of which have not been made public,&#8221; the report said. This included viruses that are up to 96.8% similar to COVID-19, including one that is 96.3% similar and which WIV only acknowledged in February 2020, after the start of the pandemic.
WIV materials show personnel on virus-harvesting expeditions handling bats with minimal protections, some with bare hands and no masks, it said. WIV was also conducing &#8220;experiments to assess the pandemic potential of SARS-related viruses&#8221; which generate &#8220;ubiquitous&#8221; and &#8220;difficult to detect&#8221; aerosols in a BSL2 laboratory, when Chinese officials have said such risky activities should only take place in higher-security BSL3 or BSL4 labs.
The U.S.-based <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-pal-at-center-of-covid-lab-leak-suspicions-gets-new-bat-virus-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EcoHealth Alliance</a> was even working with WIF and described &#8220;the WIV’s intent to search for SARS-related coronaviruses with potential to bind to human ACE2 receptors and that have naturally occurring furin cleavage sites in Yunnan Province, China. According to the proposal, if WIV researchers were unable to find a SARS-related virus with these traits during sampling expeditions, they then proposed to manipulate the ACE2 receptors of SARS-related coronaviruses to increase binding affinity to human lung tissue and to insert furin cleavage sites at the same location where one appears in SARS-CoV-2,&#8221; according to the report.
WIV has been secretive about such research. A WIV scientist &#8220;disclosed that her team infected civets and mice that expressed human ACE2 receptors with chimeric SARS-related coronaviruses. The results of these experiments indicated that SARS-related bat coronaviruses could infect and cause severe illness in humanized mice. The WIV was later terminated as a sub-grantee by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for failing to produce its laboratory notes and other records relating to these other experiments,&#8221; it said.
On Sept. 12, 2019, &#8220;between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. local time, the WIV took down its online depository of data on viral sequences called the Wildlife-Borne Viral Pathogen Database. The database was intermittently accessible from December 2019 to February 2020, before being permanently taken offline February 2020. The WIV had a collection of more than 15,000 samples from bats,&#8221; the report said.
Then there was the fact that WIV was underfunded and operating with poor technology. In May 2019, the director of the WIV BSL4 lab warned that &#8220;Maintenance cost[s] [are] generally neglected; several high-level BSLs have insufficient operational funds for routine yet vital processes&#8230; This makes it difficult to identify and mitigate potential safety hazards in facility and equipment operation early enough.&#8221;
In July 2019, the deputy director of the lab produced a report on equipment shortages, problems with &#8220;the management of biosafety,&#8221; and &#8220;urgent problems.&#8221; A November 12, 2019 report from WIV&#8217;s BSL4 lab also suggested that &#8220;operational errors that give rise to dangers&#8221; had occurred.
Finally, China&#8217;s rapid development of a vaccine for COVID&#8211;significantly faster than America&#8217;s Operation Warp Speed, which itself was considered a &#8220;miracle&#8221;&#8211;raises questions of whether the Communist nation had a head start, the report said.
&#8220;What additional steps, processes, or novel techniques did AMMS researchers take that advanced the development of their vaccine faster than the Operation Warp Speed timeline? If no additional steps were taken to speed up the development timeline, when did researchers in China have access to the genomic sequence? Was it before January 11, 2020?&#8221;

TOPSHOT-CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS

Senate Investigation Concludes COVID Likely Originated From A Chinese Lab

China

Congress

Coronavirus

Politics

Richard Burr

On Monday, GOP Sens. Roy Blunt (MO) and Richard Burr (NC) sent a scathing letter to the Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, asking for an explanation on the shortage of COVID-19 tests available to the public. 
“With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the Department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now,” the <a href="https://www.blunt.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/1-3-22_letter_to_admin_re_testing.pdf">letter</a> read. “It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration.”
In late December, President Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-didnt-reject-it-biden-claims-white-house-didnt-reject-mass-testing-before-the-holidays">told</a> members of the media that his administration did not reject a “holiday testing surge.” 
“Departing the @WhiteHouse for Marine One with @FLOTUS, @POTUS is asked about the @VanityFair article alleging his administration rejected a holiday testing surge,” Steve Herman tweeted on December 27. “‘We didn’t reject it,’ he replies.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Departing the <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> for Marine One with <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> is asked about the <a href="https://twitter.com/VanityFair?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VanityFair</a> article alleging his administration rejected a holiday testing surge.
“We didn’t reject it,” he replies.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) <a href="https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/1475519967189733378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
More recently, Biden was asked when Americans will get free COVID-19 tests — he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-biden-stares-blankly-ahead-when-pressed-on-when-americans-get-free-covid-tests">stared ahead blankly</a> and did not answer. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
REPORTER: “When will Americans get those free COVID tests, sir?”
BIDEN: *stares blankly ahead* <a href="https://t.co/WBtJ0MtuPU">pic.twitter.com/WBtJ0MtuPU</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1478096233218650131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Two weeks ago, Biden announced that the government would mail COVID-19 tests to anyone who wanted them. He stated:
<blockquote>We also need to do better with at-home testing.  So, I’m announcing today: The federal government will purchase one half billion — that’s not million; billion with a “B” — additional at-home rapid tests, with deliveries starting in January. 
We’ll be getting these tests to Americans for free.  And we’ll have websites where you can get them delivered to your home. 
We have arranged for it to be easier for you to find a free COVID testing site near you on Google.  Just enter “COVID test near me” in the Google search bar and you can find a number of different locations nearby where you can get tested.
And we’re going to continue to use the Defense Production Act as we did earlier this month to make sure we’re producing as many tests and as quickly as possible. </blockquote>
The letter sent to the administration by the senators began by reminding Becerra of the legislation passed in 2020 to fund the HHS for “testing-related activities.” Five bipartisan bills were passed in 2020 that gave $34.8 billion to the department. In 2021, an additional $47.8 billion for testing was included in the reconciliation package. The senators wrote, “Yet today our country faces a testing shortage, with long lines to obtain a PCR test, and empty shelves for Americans seeking to purchase rapid tests.”
Sens. Blunt and Burr went on to ask the administration a series of questions regarding the government’s strategy for COVID-19 testing, finishing with a request for answers. 
“We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter,” the letter concluded. “As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that Congress, and the American people, have an understanding of the administration’s strategy and accounting of how the Department is using taxpayer funding.”

President Biden

‘Fundamental Lack Of Strategy’: GOP Sens. Blunt, Burr Demand Answers From Biden Administration On COVID Test Shortage

COVID

Roy Blunt

The North Carolina Republican Party voted to censure Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) on Monday for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his impeachment and bar him from holding office again.
State Republican Party officials met in an emergency session on Monday night and voted unanimously to censure Burr, 65, who plans to retire in 2022 rather than run for reelection. Burr voted on Saturday to find Trump guilty of inciting the Jan. 6 riot that resulted in hundreds of pro-Trump protesters storming the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election.
“It’s important for the party to go ahead and put out a vote and a statement that it disagrees with Senator Burr’s vote, but in terms of practical impacts, it is just that. It’s a resolution,” North Carolina state party chairman Michael Whatley said, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/north-carolina-gop-censures-sen-burr-impeachment-vote-n1257967">NBC News</a>.
Burr hit back at the state party in a statement, accusing the state GOP of abandoning principle in favor of Trump.
“It is truly a sad day for North Carolina Republicans,” Burr said in a statement. “My party’s leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation.”
Burr voted to convict Trump after two earlier votes holding the impeachment trial of a president that has already left office unconstitutional. He explained his series of votes in a statement on Saturday. As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-richard-burr-explains-guilty-decision-after-voting-trial-unconstitutional">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>In a statement after the trial, Burr argued that while he still believed that the trial was unconstitutional, because the Senate established a “precedent” that the trial was constitutional, he was forced to consider the evidence presented to him as an impartial juror.
“The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results. As Congress met to certify the election results, the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings required by the Constitution. When the crowd became violent, the President used his office to first inflame the situation instead of immediately calling for an end to the assault,” said Burr.
“As I said on January 6th, the President bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Therefore, I have voted to convict,” the senator explained in a statement after the trial.</blockquote>
After Burr’s vote to convict, Whatley slammed Burr in a statement that precipitated the state party’s vote to censure the retiring senator.
“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” Whatley said.

North Carolina GOP Censures Sen. Richard Burr Over Impeachment Vote

North Carolina

Republican Party

On Monday night, the North Carolina Republican Party will vote on whether to censure Sen. Richard Burr due to his vote to convict Donald Trump in the president&#8217;s second impeachment trial.
<a href="https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Censure_vrd.htm">The United States Senate website</a> defines a &#8220;censure&#8221; as &#8220;a formal statement of disapproval&#8230;that can have a powerful psychological effect on a member and his/her relationships in the Senate.&#8221; It does not remove a senator from office.
After Burr voted to convict the former president, he was met with criticism from members of his own party. North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley released a <a href="https://www.nc.gop/impeachment_2_13">statement</a> on Saturday saying, &#8220;North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing.&#8221;
Burr <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article90756562.html">announced in 2016</a> that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022. His vote to convict has potentially opened up more pathways for Lara Trump to successfully run for his seat in 2022.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lara-trump-biggest-winner-of-impeachment-trial-says-lindsey-graham">The Daily Wire</a> on Sunday, Sen. Lindsay Graham discussed Trump&#8217;s chance for a Senate seat:
<blockquote>“North Carolina, the biggest winner I think of this whole impeachment trial, is Lara Trump,” Graham told Fox News host Chris Wallace. “My dear friend Richard Burr, who I like and have been friends to a long time, just made Lara Trump almost the certain nominee for the Senate seat in North Carolina to replace him if she runs.”
“I certainly will be behind her because I think she represents the future of the Republican Party,” added Graham.</blockquote>
Burr explained his conviction vote in a <a href="https://www.burr.senate.gov/press/releases/senator-burr-statement-on-vote-to-convict-former-president-trump-on-article-of-impeachment">statement</a> on Saturday, describing January 6 as &#8220;a grim day in our nation&#8217;s history.&#8221; He called the attack &#8220;an attempt to undermine our democratic institutions and overrule the will of the American people through violence, intimidation, and force.&#8221;
Burr admitted that he thought it was unconstitutional to impeach a president who is no longer in office when the process began, however, he added that because the majority in the Senate voted to proceed, &#8220;the question of constitutionality is now established precedent.&#8221;
He called himself an &#8220;impartial juror&#8221; with a role &#8220;to determine whether House managers have sufficiently made the case for the article of impeachment against President Trump.&#8221;
His <a href="https://www.burr.senate.gov/press/releases/senator-burr-statement-on-vote-to-convict-former-president-trump-on-article-of-impeachment">statement</a> continued:
<blockquote>&#8220;The facts are clear. The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results. As Congress met to certify the election results, the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings required by the Constitution. When the crowd became violent, the President used his office to first inflame the situation instead of immediately calling for an end to the assault.&#8221;</blockquote>
Burr added that on January 6, he said Trump bears responsibility for the events that took place.
The senior senator from North Carolina noted that he did not make the decision lightly, and his hope is that America can &#8220;begin to move forward and focus on the critical issues facing our country today.&#8221;

Miguel Cardona Confirmation Hearing To Be Secretary Of Education Before Senate HELP Committee

North Carolina GOP To Vote On Censure of Senator Burr After Trump Conviction Vote

Impeachment

Lara Trump

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) became the only member of the Republican Party to vote to convict former President Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection after voting only earlier this week that the trial was unconstitutional.
In a statement after the trial, Burr argued that while he still believed that the trial was unconstitutional, because the Senate established a “precedent” that the trial was constitutional, he was forced to consider the evidence presented to him as an impartial juror.
“The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results. As Congress met to certify the election results, the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings required by the Constitution. When the crowd became violent, the President used his office to first inflame the situation instead of immediately calling for an end to the assault,” said Burr.
“As I said on January 6th, the President bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Therefore, I have voted to convict,” the senator explained in a statement after the trial.
In response to the vote, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party called Burr’s vote “disappointing,” and in a brief <a href="https://www.nc.gop/impeachment_2_13">press release</a>, the state party referred to Burr&#8217;s impeachment trial vote as &#8220;contradictory.&#8221;
“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” said North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley.
In total, every Democratic senator and seven Republican senators voted to convict Trump, leaving the group 10 votes shy of the necessary threshold required for conviction in the Senate. The other Republican senators who voted to convict Trump were Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
In Burr’s statement, the North Carolina Republican, who is retiring in 2022, explained that he “did not make this decision lightly,” but believed that Trump ultimately violated his oath of office based on what the president “did and did not do.”
“My hope is that with today’s vote America can begin to move forward and focus on the critical issues facing our country today,” he concluded.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who previously voted that the trial was unconstitutional but later changed his stance at a similar vote weeks later, has since been censured by his state Republican Party&#8217;s executive committee.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-gop-censures-bill-cassidy-over-guilty-impeachment-trial-vote">Louisiana GOP Censures Bill Cassidy Over ‘Guilty’ Impeachment Trial Vote</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-is-guilty-sen-romney-issues-statement-explaining-impeachment-vote">‘Trump Is Guilty’: Sen. Romney Issues Statement Explaining Impeachment Vote</a>

Senate Meets To Vote On Cloture For NDAA

Republican Richard Burr Explains ‘Guilty’ Decision After Voting Trial Unconstitutional

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.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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

James Inhofe

Kelly Loeffler

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has agreed to step aside as chairman amidst a federal investigation into stock trades he made in mid-February, prior to the coronavirus-caused stock market crash. 
In a statement on Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) <a href="https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=35C06032-B288-41E1-B474-B031E8E40E45">announced</a> that Burr would step aside as chairman while the investigation was pending. 
“Senator Burr contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the pendency of the investigation. We agreed that this decision would be in the best interests of the committee and will be effective at the end of the day tomorrow,” said McConnell. 
Burr told reporters on Thursday that the he has been complying with the investigation since the beginning and that &#8220;everybody ought to let this investigation play out,&#8221; reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/14/sen-richard-burr-steps-down-as-senate-intel-chair-during-coronavirus-stock-sale-probe.html">CNBC</a>. The senator also said he was stepping down as chairman because the ongoing investigation was a &#8220;distraction to the hard work of the committee.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-05-13/fbi-serves-warrant-on-senator-stock-investigation">Los Angeles Times</a> reported on Wednesday evening that Burr turned over his phone to FBI agents at his residence near Washington after the agents served him with a search warrant. 
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter told The Times the Justice Department was looking into his communications with his stock broker, and a separate official told The Times that the FBI served Apple with a warrant to gain access to information on the senator’s iCloud account. 
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.
A financial filing obtained by <a href="http://pfds.opensecrets.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Burr_PTR_0202020-rotated%20%281%29.pdf">The New York Times</a> notes that Burr sold off between $15,001 to $50,000 in holdings of Extended Stay America and $50,001 to $100,000 in holdings of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. 
In a statement to <a href="https://apnews.com/27957dd84cbfaba7c8c26cd354711956">The Associated Press</a>, Alice Fisher, an attorney for Burr, said “the law is clear that any American — including a Senator — may participate in the stock market based on public information.”
“When this issue arose, Senator Burr immediately asked the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct a complete review, and he will cooperate with that review as well as any other appropriate inquiry,” said Fisher. “Senator Burr welcomes a thorough review of the facts in this matter, which will establish that his actions were appropriate.”
AP reports that Burr has acknowledged his stock sales were related to the coronavirus, but maintains he only used public information to guide his financial decisions, specifically referencing CNBC daily health and science reporting.
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>.

U.S. Senate Meets As White House, Congressional Leaders Strike Deal On $2 Trillion Stimulus Package

BREAKING: Senate Intelligence Chairman Steps Away From Role Amidst Stock Trade Investigation

Stock Market

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been served with an FBI search warrant in connection with dozens of stock trades he made on February 13, before the widespread stay-at-home orders took place.
According to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-05-13/fbi-serves-warrant-on-senator-stock-investigation">the Los Angeles Times</a>, the FBI visited the senator at his residence around the nation’s capital, where he turned over his cell phone. The Times reported no other details about the warrant at the time of publishing, and spoke with a law enforcement official on the condition of anonymity.
Los Angeles Times reporter Del Quentin Wilber has since stated that the FBI also issued a warrant to Apple in order to get information from the senator&#8217;s iCloud account.
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FBI served a warrant on Apple to get info from Burr&#8217;s iCloud accounts in recent days, too, law enforcement official said. <a href="https://t.co/7mWNaWaOCR">https://t.co/7mWNaWaOCR</a>
— Del Quentin Wilber (@DelWilber) <a href="https://twitter.com/DelWilber/status/1260765064195383301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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.
From the single day of trading, the news agency discovered Burr had unloaded between $628,000 and $1.72 million in holdings.
A financial filing obtained by <a href="http://pfds.opensecrets.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Burr_PTR_0202020-rotated%20%281%29.pdf">The New York Times</a> notes that Burr sold off between $15,001 to $50,000 in holdings of Extended Stay America and $50,001 to $100,000 in holdings of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
In a statement to <a href="https://apnews.com/27957dd84cbfaba7c8c26cd354711956">the Associated Press</a>, Alice Fisher, an attorney for Burr, said “the law is clear that any American — including a Senator — may participate in the stock market based on public information.”
“When this issue arose, Senator Burr immediately asked the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct a complete review, and he will cooperate with that review as well as any other appropriate inquiry,” said Fisher. “Senator Burr welcomes a thorough review of the facts in this matter, which will establish that his actions were appropriate.”
AP reports that Burr has acknowledged his stock sales were related to the coronavirus, but maintains he only used public information to guide his financial decisions, specifically referencing CNBC daily health and science reporting.
As <a href="http://&lt;blockquote class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot;&gt;&lt;p lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;FBI served a warrant on Apple to get info from Burr's iCloud accounts in recent days, too, law enforcement official said. &lt;a href=&quot;https://t.co/7mWNaWaOCR&quot;&gt;https://t.co/7mWNaWaOCR&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Del Quentin Wilber (@DelWilber) &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/DelWilber/status/1260765064195383301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;May 14, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Burr was among three other senators who received heat after reports emerged they sold off holdings before the stock market began to fall. The other senators included Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), and James Inhofe (R-OK).
A spokesperson for Feinstein told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/politics/richard-burr-stocks-sold-coronavirus.html">The New York Times</a> in March that all of the senator&#8217;s &#8220;assets are in a blind trust,&#8221; and that she has &#8220;no involvement in her husband&#8217;s financial decisions.&#8221; Inhofe told <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/sen-jim-inhofe-defends-himself-after-report-says-he-sold-stocks-right-before-market-crash/31851389#">ABC-5</a> in March that he&#8217;s been gradually divesting from stocks over the last 15 months.
Loeffler also responded to the allegations in March, <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLoeffler/status/1240856942433767425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240856942433767425&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate-intelligence-chairman-served-fbi-search-warrant-over-stock-trades-report-says">saying</a> she was informed of the stock activity three weeks after it happened: &#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’s knowledge or involvement.
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>.

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Senate Intelligence Chairman Served FBI Search Warrant Over Stock Trades, Report Says

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:
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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>

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