Coronavirus has infected the body politic just as it has infected hundreds of thousands of Americans. But whereas the virus takes advantage of average Americans to leave them weakened or dead, it is politicians who are taking advantage of the virus to try to damage or destroy their political opponents.
We’ve seen that most obviously in the claims by Democrats that President Trump is responsible for the thousands of American deaths caused by the pandemic, but there have also been targeted attacks against other politicians. Most notably, a handful of senators were accused of enriching themselves by using “insider knowledge” to profit from stock trades involving companies impacted either positively or negatively by coronavirus. This would be laughable were it not so destructive. I have written at HeartlandDiaryUSA.com about the absurdity of thinking that you needed to be an “insider” to figure out that the virus which forced China to lock down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, might be a threat to both the health and economic well-being of nations everywhere.
Republican Sens. Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler, among others, have been accused of making stock trades in mid-February that were supposedly informed by them getting closed-door briefings on the virus. The dubious idea is that they knew what was coming and no one else did, so they had some unfair advantage in trading. A quick look back at reporting from January disproves that notion. A story in the Daily Star linked by the Drudge Report on Jan. 22, for instance, noted that “billions could be at risk.” It’s not insider trading if it’s common knowledge.
But that’s not the end of the story. Here in Montana, an even more far-fetched version of that specious accusation is playing out in the GOP primary election campaign for governor. The top candidate in the race is Rep. Greg Gianforte (pictured, at left), who is giving up his congressional seat for a second chance at moving into the governor’s mansion. (In 2016, he lost to Democrat Steve Bullock, who in the wake of a failure-to-launch presidential campaign is now challenging Republican Steve Daines for a Senate seat.)
One of Gianforte’s two Republican opponents is Montana Attorney General Tim Fox (pictured, at center), who in a sign of desperation has taken a page out of the Democrats’ playbook and gone after Gianforte on trumped-up charges of insider trading. On April 9, Fox’s campaign manager, Jack Cutter, sent out a fundraising email claiming that “Greg is financing his gubernatorial campaign with profits derived from insider trading that capitalizes on the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The irony, however, is that Fox’s complaint is actually that Gianforte made money off the virus crisis not with insider knowledge, but rather with knowledge that was in the public sphere. You can’t make this stuff up. Remember, the complaint against Burr was that he had made stock trades in mid-February that relied on his access to secret briefings available only to members of Congress. Yet the allegation against Gianforte, which originated with liberal Montana blogger Don Pogreba, is that the congressman “began his stock purchases on January 2, just days after the scope of the threat from the novel coronavirus started to become known.”
Which is it? Was the danger of COVID-19 top secret until after mid-February? Or was it public knowledge on Jan. 2? You can’t have it both ways. Adding to the confusion is that the first human death from the virus wasn’t reported until Jan. 10. How could Gianforte have been profiteering a week before that even happened?
It seems like the main complaint against both Burr and Gianforte is that they possibly made money while a lot of other investors lost money. But there is a huge difference between insider trading and wise investing. Just as I was smart enough in January to pull all my 401(k) retirement money out of equities and park it in a fund that invests in T-bills, so too I would hope that the people who lead our nation were smart enough to see the risks ahead. Losing money should not be a qualification for members of Congress, who after all are responsible for a budget of nearly $5 trillion.
But that seems to be the point of this bogus allegation by Fox, who knows full well that Gianforte’s investments are all handled by an investment manager under a “blind investment agreement” that removes Gianforte from knowledge of investments till after the fact, when they are reported to the House of Representatives.
That’s not good enough for Fox, who seems to be running more as a Marxist than a Republican. As the Helena Independent Record reported: “Fox’s campaign contends that the trades, regardless of who made them, could result in profit for Gianforte.”
Whoa! A profit! How dare he! Even Pogreba, who originated the story that Gianforte had investments in companies that were doing work related to coronavirus, seemed shocked by Fox’s charge of “insider trading.”
“It’s an incredible claim,” Pogreba wrote on his Montana Post website on April 10. “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?”
The answers to those three questions are obvious. No, there isn’t any additional evidence. Yes, the charge was exaggerated for political effect, and for sure Fox is desperate. For the record, Gianforte didn’t receive a COVID-19 briefing as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee until Feb. 26, nearly a month after President Trump restricted travel from China. Yet Gianforte’s investment manager was making the suspect stock purchases as early as Jan. 2. Under that timeline, it simply can’t be insider trading, and don’t forget that Gianforte is not allowed to consult with his broker at any time. Nor, in case you were wondering, is any member of Gianforte’s family or anyone acting on his behalf.
Yet Cutter, who started the smear campaign on behalf of Fox by distorting Pogreba’s initial reporting into the phantom “insider trading” charge, was still pushing a fake narrative on April 15 when he told a reporter that “Congressman Gianforte has made no effort to stop the continued purchase of these profiteering stocks.”
How ridiculous! If Gianforte could stop the purchase, or could in any way influence the direction of the investments, it wouldn’t be a “blind” investment agreement. As for profiteering, it should be noted that NV5 Global, which accounted for seven of the 13 stock purchases labeled as suspicious by Pogreba, plummeted in value during the time when Gianforte was supposed to be “profiteering.” According to Yahoo Finance on March 20, NV5 Global share price had “dived 51% in the last thirty days.”
As for the fact that Gianforte was heavily invested in companies that had a footprint in matters related to coronavirus, that isn’t a red flag when you look more deeply. According to OpenSecrets.org, Gianforte had about $32 million in investments in 2018. Almost half of that was in communications and high-tech electronics. No surprise since Gianforte amassed his wealth as the founder of RightNow Technologies. But what is surprising, or at least highly revealing, is that nearly one-fourth of the remaining investments made in Gianforte’s name were in the health sector.
Remember, this was in 2018, a full two years before the coronavirus crisis. Investing in companies like Pfizer, Roche Holdings, and Johnson & Johnson was typical of the investment strategy employed on behalf of Gianforte long before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. There was no reason to expect that strategy to change after the virus had surfaced. And if you think about it, capital investments in such pharmaceutical companies is what makes it possible for them to engage in the vital work at hand — looking for tests, cures and vaccines to combat the “invisible enemy.”
How can anyone interpret an investment in pharmaceuticals (especially through a blind investment agreement) as anything other than a vote of confidence in science and biotechnology? If Gianforte made a profit by supporting these companies, so too would all of America profit should their research prove successful at defeating the deadly scourge of coronavirus.
For conservatives in Montana, it is disheartening to see Fox, the state’s top law enforcement official as attorney general, stoop to promoting stupid and self-negating allegations of wrongdoing against his primary opponent. If he were really concerned about integrity, Fox could have begun by firing his campaign manager for starting a malicious rumor that was intended to weaken his political opponent and could ultimately cost Republicans the governor’s mansion for the fifth election in a row.
But since Cutter remains atop the Fox campaign, one has to assume that the attorney general endorses these tactics. If we hope to see a cure for dirty politics in Montana, it’s going to be up to the voters.
Frank Miele, the retired editor of the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell Mont., is a columnist for RealClearPolitics. His books — including “The Media Matrix: What If Everything You Know Is Fake?” — are available from his Amazon author page. Visit him at HeartlandDiaryUSA.com to read his daily commentary or follow him on Facebook @HeartlandDiaryUSA or on Twitter @HeartlandDiary.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
