Since the beginning of the pandemic, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has repeatedly challenged public health officials and made a sport out of trying to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci any chance he gets. Many assumed he was just trying to rally up his base ahead of his 2022 reelection campaign. But a long-overdue financial disclosure statement suggests darker, more sinister motives might be at play.
According to a financial disclosure released just yesterday, Paul’s wife and frequent defender on Twitter, Kelley, purchased as much as $15,000 worth of stock in Gilead Sciences, maker of the antiviral drug remdesivir, back in February 2020.
Remdesivir, of course, was the first drug to be approved by the FDA for treating COVID-19.
Rand Paul sold you out!
It turns out when he says he’s for “freedom” what he actually means is the freedom for you to get sick with COVID so he can profit by selling you a potential cure.
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) August 12, 2021
The STOCK Act, which was first enacted in 2012 to monitor congressional insider trading and the illegal use of nonpublic information for one’s personal financial benefit, requires lawmakers report all trade disclosures within 45 days.
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Paul turned in his report 16 months late.
His office says the delay wasn’t intentional and that the filing simply got lost in the shuffle. Also, Kelley’s investment lost money. Sooooo nothing to see here, folx!
“Last year Dr. Paul completed the reporting form for an investment made by his wife using her own earnings, an investment which she has lost money on,” Paul’s spokesperson, Kelsey Cooper, said in a statement.
“In the process of preparing to file his annual financial disclosure for last year, he learned that the form was not transmitted and promptly alerted the filing office and requested their guidance. In accordance with that guidance he filed both reports today.”
Gilead stock traded for about $75 a share the day Kelley made her purchase. By April, it was up to $84 a share, before dropping back down.
Rand Paul discloses 16 months late that his wife bought stock in Gilead which makes Covid treatment
Remdesivir sales have soared to $829 million
Now we know why he’s so against masks and vaccines
ONLY senator who opposed the emergency Covid bill
Deaths for dolla dolla bills?
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) August 12, 2021
According to the report, Kelley spent between $1,000 and $15,000 on Gilead stock in February of 2020, just as the World Health Organization announced the drug “may have real efficacy” in treating severe cases of COVID-19.
In May 2020, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for remdesivir after preliminary results of a notable study were released at the end of April showing it was, in fact, helpful. And by October, it officially approved the antiviral medication.
Eight days after his wife purchased stock in Gilead, Paul voted against an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus bill. He was the only senator to do so.
So, just to clarify, the more people get Covid, the more Covid treatments get sold, and the more Gilead makes, and the more Paul's investment is worth. Got it! https://t.co/m7DR4DjNUJ
— Joe Bob #GladTheOtherGuysGone (@JHowieJr) August 12, 2021
Earlier this week, Paul had his YouTube account suspended for seven days after he posted a video falsely claiming that masks are ineffective in fighting the spread of COVID-19. He called his suspension from the popular video sharing platform a “badge of honor” in a tweet.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Max
that sneaky Brillo pad, always doing no good.
Mister P
A repugnant who thinks he is above the law. Same story different day.
Cam
“Getting lost in the shuffle” isn’t an excuse.
If you don’t pay your taxes the IRS doesn’t revoke your fines because your taxes got “Lost in the shuffle”.
But he’s a rich white Republican just like Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue who broke insider trading laws. So nothing will happen to him.
Kangol2
Of course this right-wing schmuck with a shmatte on his head is corrupt and a hypocrite, but as Cam says, he and his frau will probably get off with even less than a slap on the wrist. Maybe prosecutors will prove this wrong, though.
Chrisk
Only a Repuglican like Brillo pad douche here can pull off doing something even worse then the normal insider trading Rethugs are known for.
Too bad his neighbor didn’t finish the job.
Observant
Thumbs upping your last sentence.
headingthehwy
If you really want to see insider trading check out Nancy Pelosi stock portfolio. Lets talk about that.
Hdtex
Trump’s personal sphincter licker weighs in.
Pelosi has nothing to do with the story you pathetic MAGAt.
Cam
@headingthehwy
Hi Right wing troll, thank you for exposing this new screename so obviously.
We get it, your job is to protect Republican bigots and criminals by deflecting from things like the fact that Rand Paul and his wife had not bought personal stock in over a decade. Then, after a meeting where facts that were hidden from the general public were disclosed, Rand and his wife illegally used this insider information to buy stock in companies that treat Covid.
That company makes money if people get sick. So Rand spent the next 18 months fighting against vaccines and masks to maximize his profit.
Fahd
When disclosure laws are passed, they need to have some teeth in their enforcement. Clarence Thomas is another Republican whose financial disclosure statements should have already lead to his impeachment, but nothing happens.
I might be asking too much from the Kentucky electorate with whom Rand’s open racism, etc. seems to be a winning formula, but if Rand’s opponents – whether Republican or Democratic, can’t unseat him next time around then the US is really in a post-democracy situation; maybe I’m one of the last to perceive the obvious.
Hdtex
Durp.
Fahd
@Hdtex
Take your medication. And stop commenting on your own previously posted list of right-wing / Russian destabilization comments (see comments section here).
You are not fooling anyone, and you’re bothering the adults.
Mister P
What’s in Pelosi’s stock portfolio?
Hdtex
Trump’s testicles
Cam
Wow, the right wing troll account has blown up two of it’s screenames to try to deflect from Rand Paul’s criminal insider trading.
Republicans must be in a panic if it’s wasting this many screenames to deflect from this topic.
Liquid Silver
I’m sure anybody will get around to doing anything about this real soon now.
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
I seem to recall crazy Nancy Pelosi doing very similar things but of course if it has a D next to it’s name queerty see’s no evil and cares nothing about it..
Hdtex
Derp.
Cam
And the right wing, anti-LGBTQ Troll account wasted two new screenames and now brings out this old one to deflect from Rand Paul’s illegal insider trading.
JRamonMc
Let me get this straight. Isn’t this the same reason Martha Stewart went to prison?
Cam
This one is worse, Martha didn’t go on TV everyday speaking out against vaccines and masks because she invested in a company that makes a treatment for people who are sick with Covid.
BoomerMyles
Rand needs to have his plugs pulled right out from his head.
Georgeiv2
I wonder if all the photos of Mr & Mrs Paul look so sleezy ? What is it about Republicans and their women ? she looks like a $10 hooker . but then who else would sleep with a man like him ?
Invader7
@Georgeiv2 : A $5 hooker !!!