More On: Richard Burr
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Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., December 11, 2019 Senator Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) on Wednesday said fellow North Carolina Republican senator Richard Burr should respond to recent allegations of insider trading and self-dealing. “I suspect that there is an investigation in the DOJ, and we’ll have …
Senator Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) on Wednesday said fellow North Carolina Republican senator Richard Burr should respond to recent allegations of insider trading and self-dealing.
“I suspect that there is an investigation in the DOJ, and we’ll have to see where the facts lead,” Tillis told radio host Hugh Hewitt on The Hugh Hewitt Show.
“Regardless of what happens with the investigation, I think Senator Burr owes everybody in North Carolina and the United States an explanation, and we’ll see where the investigation goes,” Tillis said. Regarding whether Burr should give up his chairmanship of the Senate Intel Committee until the facts are fully known, “that’s a decision…that would be better left to him and the leadership.”
Burr sold his D.C. townhouse to lobbyist John Green in 2017, off-market and for an above-market price, without disclosing the transaction. That same month, Burr co-sponsored a bill benefiting pharmaceutical company Merck, for which Green lobbied. Both men have denied that the sale was inappropriate.
In March, Burr filed records showing he and his wife sold off stocks worth roughly $1 million in February, including holdings in hotel chains, before the coronavirus pandemic caused much of the U.S. economy to shut down.
Burr said in response to the news that he had “relied solely on public news reports” in deciding to sell the stocks, but critics have pointed out that he received a classified coronavirus briefing shortly before the sale.
While he maintains his innocence, Burr has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct a review of his actions.
