NC'ians Call on Sen. Tillis to Join AG Stein in Seeking Federal Investigation of Sen. Burr

Raleigh, N.C. — Piedmont Rising Executive Director Casey Wilkinson released the following statement in response to North Carolina's Attorney General Josh Stein’s call for a federal investigation into Senator Richard Burr’s alleged insider trading after reports last week that he sold off as much as $1.7 million in stocks just before the markets dropped due to coronavirus concerns:

“We commend Attorney General Stein for his leadership in calling for a federal investigation into Senator Richard Burr’s alleged use of insider information to sell off stocks ahead of the global pandemic. Senator Tillis should immediately join Attorney General Stein in calling for a federal investigation of Senator Burr’s financial transactions. North Carolinians deserve to know who their leaders are working for -- hardworking families or their own bank accounts. It is time for our senators to show leadership and transparency.”

Background:

• Last week, ProPublica and the Center for Responsive Politics reported that Burr sold the stocks in mid-February just before the market collapsed.

• A week before his stock sales, Burr co-authored a Fox News column that sought to reassure Americans about the virus.

• Yesterday, Piedmont Rising and Progress NC Action released a poll with Public Policy Polling assessing North Carolinians’ views on health care, the economy, and state leadership which found that 50 percent of voters think that Senator Richard Burr should resign.

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