Tucker: Sen. Burr told Americans the US was prepared for coronavirus before dumping his entire portfolio
Richard Burr had critical information that might have helped the people he is sworn to protect. But he hid that information and helped only himself.
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Tucker Carlson focused his monologue Friday on Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., amid allegations that the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman used privileged information about the spread of coronavirus to cash in ahead of the recent stock market free fall.
"Richard Burr is a Republican senator from North Carolina, but has no background in finance or investing," Carlson began. "In fact, before being elected to Congress in 1994, Burr spent 17 years selling lawnmowers for a dealer in Winston-Salem. But on Feb. 13 of this year, Burr seemed to develop very strong feelings about the future of America [in] American equity markets. That day, he dumped up to $1.7 million in stocks in 33 separate transactions."
"Burr bought nothing that day, it was a flurry of selling, "Carlson added. "Sell, sell, sell, essentially it was a cash-out."
Carlson then outlined what may have inspired Burr to "cash out."
"On Jan. 24, he [Burr] attended a closed-door briefing on the Chinese corona virus. It was delivered by Dr. Anthony Fauci and the head of the CDC [Dr. Robert Redfield]. Apparently, what Burr heard there spooked him," Carlson said. "Within a short time, he acted decisively to save his family from financial harm. Unfortunately, he didn't tell the rest of us about
it. In fact, he did just the opposite."
Carlson ripped Burr for publicly assuring people America was prepared after the sale.
"Burr hid what he knew of the coronavirus threat and then lied about it at length to the nation," said Carlson, who noted that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., had been accused of cashing out as well.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
But the host saved the brunt of his scorn for Burr.
"Richard Burr had critical information that might have helped the people he has sworn to protect, but he hid that information and helped only himself," Carlson said. "Instead of sounding the alarm, alerting the country, [and] goading the government into action as an ethical person would have done, Burr told the easy lies that in the end may have killed people.
"And he wasn't alone in doing that."
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox