Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) is being accused of insider trading by the Republican attorney general of the state, Tim Fox. And the evidence could have profound implications for the state of Montana.
According to The Montana Post, Fox made his charges in an email circulated to members of the media on Friday:
Fox and Gianforte are both running to be the Republican nominee for governor of Montana.
Don Pogreba of The Post notes that such an accusation does indeed have some validity:
“It’s an incredible claim, no doubt based on the research that shows Gianforte, rather than putting his investments into a blind trust as promised, has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past three months in companies hoping to profit from COVID-19, including the French manufacturer of Hydroxychloroquine.
“I’m not sure—and never suggested—that Gianforte is engaging in insider trading, which makes the Fox campaign claim all the more explosive. Do they have additional evidence that Gianforte has broken the law? Are they exaggerating his sins (which include greed and dishonesty, to be precise) for political effect? Is this just the last desperate swing of a campaign that has failed to convince Montana Republicans that Fox is conservative enough to win their favor?”
Gianforte, you may recall, first came to public attention in 2017 when he was running for Congress and body-slammed a reporter who asked him a question he didn’t like. Gianforte eventually won a special election and was aided in part by the support of President Donald Trump.
In essence, Fox is accusing Gianforte of willingly profiting off the deaths of some 19,000 Americans at a time when 10 percent of the U.S. workforce is unemployed and COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the national economy.
On Friday, President Trump said he will make the final decision on when the country is fully reopened, but neglected to mention that only governors can make such a determination for their state.
Featured Image Via NBC News
