Kansas Crimson

...On Feb. 27, when the United States had 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, President Trump was tamping down fears and suggesting that the virus could be seasonal.

"It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle. It will disappear," the president said then, before adding, "it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens."

On that same day, Burr attended a luncheon held at a social club called the Capitol Hill Club. And he delivered a much more alarming message.

"There's one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," he said, according to a secret recording of the remarks obtained by NPR. "It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic."

...In attendance, according to a copy of the RSVP list obtained by NPR, were dozens of invited guests representing companies and organizations from North Carolina. And according to federal records, those companies or their political committees donated more than $100,000 to Burr's election campaign in 2015 and 2016. (Burr announced previously he was not planning to run for reelection in 2022.)

The message Burr delivered to the group was dire.

Thirteen days before the State Department began to warn against travel to Europe, and 15 days before the Trump administration banned European travelers, Burr warned those in the room to reconsider.

"Every company should be cognizant of the fact that you may have to alter your travel. You may have to look at your employees and judge whether the trip they're making to Europe is essential or whether it can be done on video conference. Why risk it?" Burr said.

Sixteen days before North Carolina closed its schools over the threat of the coronavirus, Burr warned it could happen.

"There will be, I'm sure, times that communities, probably some in North Carolina, have a transmission rate where they say, 'Let's close schools for two weeks. Everybody stay home,' " he said.

And Burr invoked the possibility that the military might be mobilized to combat the coronavirus. Only now, three weeks later, is the public learning of that prospect.

"We're going to send a military hospital there; it's going to be in tents and going to be set up on the ground somewhere," Burr said at the luncheon. "It's going to be a decision the president and DOD make. And we're going to have medical professionals supplemented by local staff to treat the people that need treatment."

[...]

As head of Senate Intelligence, Burr would have access to classified information and briefings that even other senators would not, IIRC.

He sold 1.5 million of his portfolio right after that.
See economy thread.

I'm having a super shitty day.

But at least I'm not having a super shitty Richard Burr kind of day.

He's going to end up better than I.

Guess what

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly ... g?ref=home

#BITFD

Those are all yours DC.

Geezer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:27 pm Guess what

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly ... g?ref=home

Dammit, I can't keep up!

Wait! Geezer, doesn't this belong in the "Shit You Can't F^%#ing Make Up!" thread? (Is there an echo in here?)

Link to your article. I love the Doug Collins reference.

Geezer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:36 pm Those are all yours DC.

Well...kinda.

But fuck 'em.

Her mutherfucking husband is the chairman of NYSE.

#BITFD

wow

DCHawk1 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:29 pm Her mutherfucking husband is the chairman of NYSE.

#BITFD

smh

DCHawk1 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:29 pm Her mutherfucking husband is the chairman of NYSE.

#BITFD

Is that wrong? Asking for a friend

Turns out there were four repubs and Diane Feinstein who sold stock around the time in question.

Jim Inhofe, Ron Johnson - say it ain't so.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/republ ... al-report/

As the world turns:

Like sands through the hourglass...

The story evolves:



Full disclosure: Although it was ~ 2.5 weeks later, I bought two telecom stocks, too.

People who have a history of making wise investment decisions (along with their advisors) have made money on this crisis? Who woulda thunk it?
People who had money invested in an over inflated market figured that even a tiny bit of virus panic could strongly affect the market - decided to sell stocks that could get hurt by the crisis- and/or buy stocks that could profit from the crisis? Who woulda thunk it?
Sure if what these people are being accused of doing (down playing the virus to profit from it and hurt other Americans financially in the process) then they should be considered scumbags but ignorant me would like to know what exactly is it that they did that's illegal?
The issue to me is the conflict of interests that are ignored when wealthy politicians sit on committees that can manipulate the markets - and determining what should and shouldn't be allowed. Thus my asking, what is it that these politicians did that is/was illegal?