Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue made several stock purchases after attending pandemic briefings, raising questions from constituents and regulatory boards.
In an analysis released Wednesday (December 2), the New York Times evaluated the 2,596 stock trades Perdue made since taking office in 2014.
The analysis shows Perdue’s well-timed trades and purchases which led to congressional regulatory committees to take a closer look at his financial dealings.
The pandemic brief in question took place on January 24, after which several senators in attendance made trades in stocks vulnerable to the impending pandemic. Perdue purchase stock in DuPont, a personal protective equipment manufacturer, the same day, and additional shares later on.
Representatives for Perdue claim that he did not attend the briefing, however several trades were made shortly after, including a $260,000 purchase of Pfizer stock between February 26 and the last day of the month.
Perdue and his Republican colleague Kelly Loeffler released a joint statement on February 28 assuring citizens that Donald Trump and his administration were “taking the coronavirus seriously,” after they’d both attended briefings.
In late February and at the beginning of March, Perdue sold stock in the casino entertainment company Caesars, whose business was deeply impacted by pandemic’s shutdowns.
Both Perdue and Loeffler have been the subject of several investigations about their stock portfolios. Each incumbent denied allegations of insider trading.
Their Democratic opponents, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock have used the investigations in campaign ads.
Perdue’s re-election campaign communications director said that he “doesn’t handle the day-to-day decisions of his portfolio.”
In April, Perdue moved a lot of his wealth, which is managed by Goldman Sachs, into mutual funds and other funds following criticism.
The highly anticipated runoff is scheduled for January 5 of next year.
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