FBI raids home of GOP senator over stock sales related to coronavirus

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, federal agents seized a cellphone belonging to Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) after they conducted a raid on his Washington-area residence. The raid was in conjunction with a Justice Department investigation into stock trades he made as the coronavirus outbreak first began to make headlines in the U.S.

“The seizure represents a significant escalation in the investigation into whether Burr violated a law preventing members of Congress from trading on insider information they have gleaned from their official work,” the LA Times reports.

“Burr sold a significant percentage of his stock portfolio in 33 different transactions on Feb. 13, just as his committee was receiving daily coronavirus briefings and a week before the stock market declined sharply,” the report continues. “Much of the stock was invested in businesses that in subsequent weeks were hit hard by the plunging market.”

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.