# Republicans purposely downplayed COVID-19 warnings so they could offload stock. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 19, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843 "2020-03-19T21:39:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/1 "2020-03-19T21:39:52Z")
Fuck. These. People. Just going to put this in the Pit, for there’s no debate as to the ethics here and the political implications are really just: Fuck. The. GOP. Story the 1st: [Intelligence Chairman Raised Virus Alarms Weeks Ago, Secret Recording Shows](https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/818192535/burr-recording-sparks-questions-about-private-comments-on-covid-19) > [@](#): > > The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned a small group of well-connected constituents three weeks ago to prepare for dire economic and societal effects of the coronavirus, according to a secret recording obtained by NPR. > > The remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Burr were more stark than any he had delivered in more public forums. > > 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.” > > Burr has a unique perspective on the government’s response to a pandemic, and not just because of his role as Intelligence Committee chairman. **He helped to write the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), which forms the framework for the federal response.** > > But in his public comments about the threat of COVID-19, Burr never offered the kind of precise warning that he delivered to the small group of his constituents. > > On Feb. 7, Burr co-authored an op-ed that laid out the tools that the U.S. government had at its disposal to fight the coronavirus. > > “Luckily, we have a framework in place that has put us in a better position than any other country to respond to a public health threat, like the coronavirus,” Burr said in a statement on March 5. This… released this morning… got some people digging. [Senate Intel chair unloaded stocks in mid-February before coronavirus rocked markets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/03/burr-unloaded-stocks-before-coronavirus/) > [@](#): > > As the coronavirus outbreak began to spread across the U.S. in mid-February, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) unloaded his holdings in dozens of stocks that would lose much of their market value over the coming weeks. > > Burr and his wife Brooke sold between $581,000 and $1.5 million in publicly traded stocks on Feb. 13 and didn’t buy any new positions, according to a recent financial disclosure filed with the Senate. > > Around the time that Burr sold his shares of major corporations, including several hard hit hotel companies, he publicly expressed confidence about the U.S. government’s ability to fight the virus. However in late February, Burr privately warned that the virus is “much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history,” according to a recording obtained by NPR. Pictures of the transactions are here - most are dated 2-13-2020: [https://twitter.com/annalecta/status/1240747067024322568?s=20](https://twitter.com/annalecta/status/1240747067024322568?s=20) So, to recap: 1. Prior to COVID-19, Burr helped author the country’s Pandemic Response 2. On February 7th, he pens an op-ed saying everything is OK. 3. The DJIA hits its highest close ever, @ 29,551. 4. On February 13th, he and his wife dump $1.6 million of stock, most of them in high-risk companies. DJIA closes at 29,423. Talk about selling at the top! 5. On February 27th, the same day Trump said it would ‘disappear’, Burr was warning wealthy supporters to prepare for the worst, for another ‘Spanish Flu’. DJIA closed at 25,766 6. On March 5th, Burr pens an oped saying “We’re more prepared than we have ever been”. DJIA: 26,121 7. March 9th, DJIA crashes over 2,000 points. Things really begin going to hell. Fuck. The. GOP. Just fuck them - they didn’t warn people, they purposely withheld information, so they could sell their holdings at the top of the market, and now millions may die so they could profit. **Listen to the recording**. It’s all there. And still… for 2, 3 weeks… they did the Democrat Impeachment Hoax story while this thing was spreading across the country, so they could offload their most vulnerable assets. FUCK THE GOP AND ALL WHO SUPPORT THEM AFTER ALL THIS SHIT. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/2 "2020-03-19T21:52:06Z")
Seconded! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/3 "2020-03-19T22:16:54Z")
Fun fact. The top Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act passed in 2012 97-3. Burr was among the 3. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/4 "2020-03-19T22:19:52Z")
I wonder if it would be possible for some state or collection of states to charge the lot of them with conspiracy to commit mass murder by negligence. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/5 "2020-03-19T22:25:24Z")
Oh, I hate that asshole more than anyone else in the Senate, and that’s saying a lot. Because I went to high school with that motherfucker. He was an asshole in high school and he’s a bigger asshole now. I hope he goes down and goes down hard. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/6 "2020-03-19T22:43:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Fuck. These. People. > > Just going to put this in the Pit, for there’s no debate as to the ethics here and the political implications are really just: Fuck. The. GOP. > > Story the 1st: > > [Intelligence Chairman Raised Virus Alarms Weeks Ago, Secret Recording Shows](https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/818192535/burr-recording-sparks-questions-about-private-comments-on-covid-19) > > This… released this morning… got some people digging. > > [Senate Intel chair unloaded stocks in mid-February before coronavirus rocked markets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/03/burr-unloaded-stocks-before-coronavirus/) > > Pictures of the transactions are here - most are dated 2-13-2020: [https://twitter.com/annalecta/status/1240747067024322568?s=20](https://twitter.com/annalecta/status/1240747067024322568?s=20) > > So, to recap: > > 1. Prior to COVID-19, Burr helped author the country’s Pandemic Response > 2. On February 7th, he pens an op-ed saying everything is OK. > 3. The DJIA hits its highest close ever, @ 29,551. > 4. On February 13th, he and his wife dump $1.6 million of stock, most of them in high-risk companies. DJIA closes at 29,423. Talk about selling at the top! > 5. On February 27th, the same day Trump said it would ‘disappear’, Burr was warning wealthy supporters to prepare for the worst, for another ‘Spanish Flu’. DJIA closed at 25,766 > 6. On March 5th, Burr pens an oped saying “We’re more prepared than we have ever been”. DJIA: 26,121 > 7. March 9th, DJIA crashes over 2,000 points. Things really begin going to hell. > > Fuck. The. GOP. Just fuck them - they didn’t warn people, they purposely withheld information, so they could sell their holdings at the top of the market, and now millions may die so they could profit. > > **Listen to the recording**. It’s all there. And still… for 2, 3 weeks… they did the Democrat Impeachment Hoax story while this thing was spreading across the country, so they could offload their most vulnerable assets. > > FUCK THE GOP AND ALL WHO SUPPORT THEM AFTER ALL THIS SHIT. can I steal and repost this link and summary? I’ll take out your personal comments. Rewrite them in my own words ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/7 "2020-03-19T22:44:24Z")
I endorse this pitting and welcome the board’s Republican water-bearers to defend it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/8 "2020-03-19T22:47:48Z")
Republicans are fucking trash. Gee, I wonder why that little bitch **Bricker** doesn’t come around any more? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/9 "2020-03-19T22:49:05Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > I endorse this pitting and welcome the board’s Republican water-bearers to defend it. [predictable]“Hilary would have been worse”.[/predictable] ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/10 "2020-03-19T22:52:19Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > can I steal and repost this link and summary? I’ll take out your personal comments. Rewrite them in my own words Of course! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/11 "2020-03-19T22:52:35Z")
That stock trading reeks, and I hope it’s a crime. Too bad Republicans in Trump’s name are above the law and/or insta-pardonable. The stock trading reeks, but the supression of the severity of this pandemic is ghastly. In other words, it’s typically Republican. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/12 "2020-03-19T22:53:20Z")
Another reason for me to _really_ hate the G.o.P., in general (not that I _needed_ any more). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/13 "2020-03-19T22:58:09Z")
The right wing response to this will be that it’s fake news AND that Burr was really smart to sell when he did AND he deserves a medal for not causing panic with his public remarks. All of those things at once, and really hard too. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/14 "2020-03-19T23:10:22Z")
Fuck bipartisanship. I’m not buying into the theory that we need to pretend to trust these corrupt untrustworthy crooks “for the good of the country”. They drove the economy into hyperdrive by reckless borrowing and unconscionable giveaways to their corporate co-conspirators. They dismantled the body of expertise behind the government. Then the whole country got taken down hard by what was essentially a failure of information. This wasn’t something that just happened. It might not have been totally preventable, but it could been contained if not for incompetence. We need to let people know this. We need to plaster the airwaves with ads showing Trump saying “I take no responsibility” and “we’re not a shipping clerk”. We need to lay the blame directly where it belongs and wake up that 50% of the country that never votes. We need to show the Republicans in all their bumbling incompetent glory. We need to double down, not ease up. Fuck bipartisanship. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/15 "2020-03-19T23:13:03Z")
The little shitstain has already provided [a response](https://mobile.twitter.com/SenatorBurr/status/1240766943449276424). As a resident of North Carolina, let me add a hearty “fuck this guy.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/16 "2020-03-19T23:23:16Z")
Going to periodically update my new Richard Burr metric: “Value of a human life.” $1,600,000/174 = $9,195. That is the value of a human life, as of now. This number _will_ decrease. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/17 "2020-03-19T23:58:04Z")
I mean, I’m not even sure I remotely understand[his defense](https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1240782016850931714)here: “Burr’s office also rebutted a ProPublica story indicating he sold between $500k-$1.6m in stock in the weeks leading up to the market collapse. An aide said the sale happened before market volatility began.” Yeah, that’s, like, the whole problem. Nobody would have a problem if the sale happened after the market volatility. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/18 "2020-03-19T23:58:48Z")
This is a big day for Aaron Burr. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/19 "2020-03-20T00:11:31Z")
What happened to putting one’s money in a blind trust? I thought that was customary when a position of public trust like this. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843/20 "2020-03-20T00:12:02Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > …I’m not buying into the theory that we need to pretend to trust these corrupt untrustworthy crooks “for the good of the country”. They drove the economy into hyperdrive by reckless borrowing and unconscionable giveaways to their corporate co-conspirators. They dismantled the body of expertise behind the government. Then the whole country got taken down hard by what was essentially a failure of information. > > This wasn’t something that just happened. It might not have been totally preventable, but it could been contained if not for incompetence. > > We need to let people know this. We need to plaster the airwaves with ads showing Trump saying “I take no responsibility” and “we’re not a shipping clerk”. We need to lay the blame directly where it belongs and wake up that 50% of the country that never votes. … Very effective one-minute video that does pretty much what you request: > [@](#): > > Why did President Trump Lie about the COVID-19 Crisis? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JxG241bExqY/maxresdefault.jpg "Why Did President Trump Lie About the COVID-19 Crisis?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxG241bExqY) It alternates Trump lies over recent weeks with on-screen facts about the spread of the virus. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s the never-Trumper ‘Rule of Law Republicans’ who put it out. They hate him as much as we do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-purposely-downplayed-covid-19-warnings-so-they-could-offload-stock/849843.md?page=2)