Guest Author
We’re living through a national crisis that most families in Florida never imagined we’d face. At times like this we put our lives in the hands of our elected leaders. We have to trust that they will guide us and make sure our public health officials have the resources they need to mitigate the impact of this pandemic, with the loss of as few Americans as possible.
Which is why, like you, I’m outraged that at least two United States Senators, Richard Burr from North Carolina and Kelly Loeffler from Georgia, received private briefings and knew about the impending severity of COVID-19, and instead of calls for caution to prevent the spread of this virus, they called their financial planner and sold off millions of dollars of stock before the market tanked.
Seven weeks ago, on Jan. 24, United States Senators were privately briefed by Administration Officials, including the Center for Disease Control Director, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. They were warned in extensive detail the impending disaster that was ahead of us, and preventive steps were laid out before them on how to protect their constituents.
Instead, as she was selling over $3 million in stock, Senator Loeffler tweeted to brag about the strength of our economy. After Burr sold up to $1.5 million of stock, he claimed falsely that we have the framework needed to combat coronavirus.
I have made my living investigating and exposing corrupt politicians in both parties who violated the public trust and the law, and it’s clearer each day that there’s a lot of investigative work to do in Washington. And based on my experience reporting on corruption, I bet this isn’t the last shoe to drop. This behavior is nothing short of criminal and everyone across the country has the right to be deeply angry.
Floridians have the right to be angry that Senators had a chance to trade stock, but they have watched their own IRAs and 401(k)s disappear before their eyes.
We have the right to be angry that elected leaders in Washington have failed to invest in our health care system, to ensure that we all have access to affordable health care and prescription drugs – especially in times like this.
Small businesses have the right to be angry that while elected leaders are trading stocks, they will have to close their doors and may not be able to pay rent. And workers should be angry that they don’t know if they’ll get their next paycheck.
To avoid or better prepare for crises like this in the future, we can no longer afford to ignore the truth or dismiss the news we don’t like as “fake.” We cannot deny facts and science. In a world without truth, there is no accountability. When opinions matter more than the truth, social justice cannot prevail.
Information is a powerful thing. These Senators knew we were not prepared for a public health crisis and withheld those truths from the American people, which is a violation of public trust.
There are moments in history when we need to act to ensure what’s right and what’s necessary. Right now, that moment requires us to rid our government of anyone who’s acting against our collective interest or failing to act in a timely manner when hours and days can make a difference between who lives and dies.
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Alan Cohn is a Peabody Award-winning investigative reporter and a Democratic candidate running in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
