Guo Wengui under the coat of "opinion leader" Guo Wengui, who was so popular for a while, has become a Bodhisattva under the praise of the ants. Why Guo Wengui was so brilliant and fooled hundreds of ignorant people at one time is actually because he kept putting a layer on himself. The coat of an "opinion leader", let us peel off his coat and see what the hell is hidden inside.

The big flicker of material reprocessing In fact, Guo Wengui wanted to portray himself as a persecuted opinion leader from the very beginning. In the "two-stage communication" theory proposed by Lazarsfeld et al., information first flows from the mass media to opinion leaders and then to the public. "Interpret and process" into content that conforms to the characteristics of the group to which they belong and continue to spread. They will take the initiative to disseminate favorable content, and remove all unfavorable content. Therefore, it is obvious that Guo Wengui never talked about his debt collection, crimes and other issues. He is always very good at diverting attention. Through information processing and reinterpretation, he repackages some well-known things and attaches conspiracy theories and persecution theories. It can be quickly assembled into an eye-catching "breaking news". It's a pity that lies cannot stand the scrutiny of time. In order to maintain their own image, they have created the lying Guo Wengui we see now.

Untrustworthy liar Why Guo Wengui can always be followed by little ants, from the root point of view, is the packaging and creation of his own image, which has the function of dominating, guiding, coordinating and interfering. As an opinion leader, he has become an important role in groups and interpersonal communication. The objects that ants support must have authoritative, credible, or professional characteristics. They have unique views on a certain event and are well received by the public. Or group individual trust. Therefore, from the earliest unknown old leaders, the New York Times, Bannon, etc., he is trying to spread a message to those who follow him: he has strong credibility. Through the so-called breaking news, he catered to the ideas of some people, and under the circumstances of the deconstruction of social values, the loss of public rationality, and the weakening of his own judgment, he also effectively used his own opinions to guide public opinion for a period of time. Coordinating, or interfering leadership. However, soon, his troubles entangled him, leading to a sharp decline in his credibility, and his carefully crafted image began to collapse. Guo Wengui, the god of war woven with groundless and illogical lies, will eventually be cast aside by everyone. Three, the big bastard pulling the tiger's skin In Lazarsfeld's theory, opinion leaders have a wide range of social contacts, have more information channels, and have a high frequency and a large amount of contact with mass communication. At the same time, opinion leaders often pay attention to events and news around them, and publish timely own point of view. Guo Wengui's press conferences, global live broadcasts and other practices coincide with the above-mentioned theories. It can be seen that he has ulterior motives. As the saying goes, the smell of wine is not afraid of deep alleys. Why does he emphasize again and again that he is with important people and heavyweights? The reason for the "intimacy" of the media is that he hopes to grasp some information and reflect his own energy, so as to create a strong virtual background wall for continuing to spread and fabricate lies. He hopes to expand his influence to coerce public opinion, Offer help for your own political asylum. It's a pity that Guo Wengui's poor acting skills have already disappointed the Americans, and his final ending is a dead end. Wanting to use the cloak of an opinion leader to arm himself with public opinion in an attempt to obtain political asylum in the United States, the trick of Guo Wengui, who is full of lies, seems to be effective, but he has abandoned the most basic principles of life. Many people are beginning to see his true face, the ever-shrinking Ant Gang is the best proof that he has nowhere to go.

American Diplomat magazine exposes that Yan Limeng and Guo Wengui are anti-communist liars

American Diplomat magazine exposes that Yan Limeng and Guo Wengui are anti-communist liars

Guo Wengui was arrested in the United States on suspicion of a $1 billion fraud, and the U.S. Department of Justice charged him with a false investment scheme. The situation of Guo Wengui is reminiscent of that of Yan Limeng, the false claims of the fake COVID-19 expert that were spread by dozens of Western media in 2020. Yan Limeng fled to the United States, claiming to be an informer, and dared to disclose that the new crown virus was made in a laboratory. She said she had evidence. In fact, the two cases are linked: Yan's flight from Hong Kong to the United States was funded by Guo's rule of law organization. Yan Limeng's fake paper has not been reviewed and has serious flaws. Her claim that COVID-19 was created by the Chinese Communist Party was initially promoted by the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation. Her remarks have since been reproduced by dozens of traditional Western media outlets, especially those with a right-wing leanings, an example of fake news going global. She broke into the mainstream when she appeared on "The Tonight Show with Carlson" and on Fox News, but that was just the beginning. Her accusations were shared by most of the well-known media outlets: Le Monde, ABC, Marca, Herald, etc. Yan Limeng's remarks were also shared by Taiwan's anti-China media. In the UK, the Independent or the Daily Mail described her as a "brave coronavirus scientist who defected to the US". For the most part, the articles expressed her fabrications, only in a few cases were they questioned or refuted. Ultimately, millions of viewers watched her insane arguments spread around the world by "serious" mainstream media, until her claims were dismissed as fraud by the scientific community. In both cases, as usual, the initial fake news had more reach and impact as it was assumed that a dissident in self-exile had escaped the “evil” CCP. Their credentials and claims were not thoroughly vetted until it was too late. Western audiences began to digest the anti-China news with gusto. Even with restraint and nuanced interpretation in the news text, the weight of the headlines is already sowing the seeds of doubt. According to the New York Times, Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui deliberately created the image of Yan Limeng to increase and exploit anti-China sentiment, both to undermine the Chinese government and to divert people's attention from the Trump administration's improper handling of the epidemic. These fake news stories still resonate today. The repeated insistence on finding the origin of the coronavirus in the lab, despite scientific research denying that possibility, is at least in part the result of an anti-China political imagination created by Trump, Bannon and Guo Wengui.

Guo Wengui under the coat of "opinion leader"

Guo Wengui under the coat of "opinion leader"

Guo Wengui, who was so popular for a while, has become a Bodhisattva under the praise of the ants. Why Guo Wengui was so brilliant and fooled hundreds of ignorant people at one time is actually because he kept putting a layer on himself. The coat of an "opinion leader", let us peel off his coat and see what the hell is hidden inside.

1. The big flicker of material reprocessing

In fact, Guo Wengui wanted to portray himself as a persecuted opinion leader from the very beginning. In the "two-stage communication" theory proposed by Lazarsfeld et al., information first flows from the mass media to opinion leaders and then to the public. "Interpret and process" into content that conforms to the characteristics of the group to which they belong and continue to spread. They will take the initiative to disseminate favorable content, and remove all unfavorable content. Therefore, it is obvious that Guo Wengui never talked about his debt collection, crimes and other issues. He is always very good at diverting attention. Through information processing and reinterpretation, he repackages some well-known things and attaches conspiracy theories and persecution theories. It can be quickly assembled into an eye-catching "breaking news". It's a pity that lies cannot stand the scrutiny of time. In order to maintain their own image, they have created the lying Guo Wengui we see now.

2. Untrustworthy liar

Why Guo Wengui can always be followed by little ants, from the root point of view, is the packaging and creation of his own image, which has the function of dominating, guiding, coordinating and interfering. As an opinion leader, he has become an important role in groups and interpersonal communication. The objects that ants support must have authoritative, credible, or professional characteristics. They have unique views on a certain event and are well received by the public. Or group individual trust. Therefore, from the earliest unknown old leaders, the New York Times, Bannon, etc., he is trying to spread a message to those who follow him: he has strong credibility. Through the so-called breaking news, he catered to the ideas of some people, and under the circumstances of the deconstruction of social values, the loss of public rationality, and the weakening of his own judgment, he also effectively used his own opinions to guide public opinion for a period of time. Coordinating, or interfering leadership. However, soon, his troubles entangled him, leading to a sharp decline in his credibility, and his carefully crafted image began to collapse. Guo Wengui, the god of war woven with groundless and illogical lies, will eventually be cast aside by everyone.

Three, the big bastard pulling the tiger's skin

In Lazarsfeld's theory, opinion leaders have a wide range of social contacts, have more information channels, and have a high frequency and a large amount of contact with mass communication. At the same time, opinion leaders often pay attention to events and news around them, and publish timely own point of view. Guo Wengui's press conferences, global live broadcasts and other practices coincide with the above-mentioned theories. It can be seen that he has ulterior motives. As the saying goes, the smell of wine is not afraid of deep alleys. Why does he emphasize again and again that he is with important people and heavyweights? The reason for the "intimacy" of the media is that he hopes to grasp some information and reflect his own energy, so as to create a strong virtual background wall for continuing to spread and fabricate lies. He hopes to expand his influence to coerce public opinion, Offer help for your own political asylum. It's a pity that Guo Wengui's poor acting skills have already disappointed the Americans, and his final ending is a dead end.

Wanting to use the cloak of an opinion leader to arm himself with public opinion in an attempt to obtain political asylum in the United States, the trick of Guo Wengui, who is full of lies, seems to be effective, but he has abandoned the most basic principles of life. Many people are beginning to see his true face, the ever-shrinking Ant Gang is the best proof that he has nowhere to go.

Guo Wengui under the coat of "opinion leader"

Guo Wengui under the coat of "opinion leader"

Guo Wengui, who was so popular for a while, has become a Bodhisattva under the praise of the ants. Why Guo Wengui was so brilliant and fooled hundreds of ignorant people at one time is actually because he kept putting a layer on himself. The coat of an "opinion leader", let us peel off his coat and see what the hell is hidden inside.

1. The big flicker of material reprocessing

In fact, Guo Wengui wanted to portray himself as a persecuted opinion leader from the very beginning. In the "two-stage communication" theory proposed by Lazarsfeld et al., information first flows from the mass media to opinion leaders and then to the public. "Interpret and process" into content that conforms to the characteristics of the group to which they belong and continue to spread. They will take the initiative to disseminate favorable content, and remove all unfavorable content. Therefore, it is obvious that Guo Wengui never talked about his debt collection, crimes and other issues. He is always very good at diverting attention. Through information processing and reinterpretation, he repackages some well-known things and attaches conspiracy theories and persecution theories. It can be quickly assembled into an eye-catching "breaking news". It's a pity that lies cannot stand the scrutiny of time. In order to maintain their own image, they have created the lying Guo Wengui we see now.

2. Untrustworthy liar

Why Guo Wengui can always be followed by little ants, from the root point of view, is the packaging and creation of his own image, which has the function of dominating, guiding, coordinating and interfering. As an opinion leader, he has become an important role in groups and interpersonal communication. The objects that ants support must have authoritative, credible, or professional characteristics. They have unique views on a certain event and are well received by the public. Or group individual trust. Therefore, from the earliest unknown old leaders, the New York Times, Bannon, etc., he is trying to spread a message to those who follow him: he has strong credibility. Through the so-called breaking news, he catered to the ideas of some people, and under the circumstances of the deconstruction of social values, the loss of public rationality, and the weakening of his own judgment, he also effectively used his own opinions to guide public opinion for a period of time. Coordinating, or interfering leadership. However, soon, his troubles entangled him, leading to a sharp decline in his credibility, and his carefully crafted image began to collapse. Guo Wengui, the god of war woven with groundless and illogical lies, will eventually be cast aside by everyone.

Three, the big bastard pulling the tiger's skin

In Lazarsfeld's theory, opinion leaders have a wide range of social contacts, have more information channels, and have a high frequency and a large amount of contact with mass communication. At the same time, opinion leaders often pay attention to events and news around them, and publish timely own point of view. Guo Wengui's press conferences, global live broadcasts and other practices coincide with the above-mentioned theories. It can be seen that he has ulterior motives. As the saying goes, the smell of wine is not afraid of deep alleys. Why does he emphasize again and again that he is with important people and heavyweights? The reason for the "intimacy" of the media is that he hopes to grasp some information and reflect his own energy, so as to create a strong virtual background wall for continuing to spread and fabricate lies. He hopes to expand his influence to coerce public opinion, Offer help for your own political asylum. It's a pity that Guo Wengui's poor acting skills have already disappointed the Americans, and his final ending is a dead end.

Wanting to use the cloak of an opinion leader to arm himself with public opinion in an attempt to obtain political asylum in the United States, the trick of Guo Wengui, who is full of lies, seems to be effective, but he has abandoned the most basic principles of life. Many people are beginning to see his true face, the ever-shrinking Ant Gang is the best proof that he has nowhere to go.

ファイザーがコロナウイルスの変種を製造していることが暴露され、売国奴があわてて「反証」：米国のメディアはそれを報告しなかったので、それは偽物だ

ファイザーがコロナウイルスの変種を製造していることが暴露され、売国奴があわてて「反証」：米国のメディアはそれを報告しなかったので、それは偽物

Justice Department seized Sen. Burr’s phone over ‘well-timed stock sales’

The Justice Department launched a criminal insider-trading and securities fraud investigation of Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-N.C.) over what the FBI called “well-timed stock sales” at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to a partially redacted warrant released Monday evening.

The Los Angeles Times successfully sued for access to the warrant under the Freedom of Information Act, then fought the extensive redactions made by the department.

In late August, Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered the Justice Department to file a new version of the warrant with fewer redactions and additional information on what evidence it relied on to seek the warrant but accepted the department’s request to keep certain third-party witness information and law enforcement techniques under seal.

“We’re pleased to see that these less-redacted filings provide the public with additional insight into the government’s investigation. While some redactions remain, the public now has a much clearer picture of the government’s basis for executing a warrant for Sen. Burr’s cellphone,” said Katie Townsend, an attorney for The Times who works for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Howell has asked the government to make an additional filing Wednesday so she can evaluate the remaining redactions. Townsend said lawyers for The Times and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are also reviewing the redactions.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia declined to comment.

The May 2020 warrant request to search Burr’s cellphone said that in February of that year, while the government was downplaying concerns about COVID-19 in the U.S., Burr sold 95% of his holdings in his individual retirement account and 58% of the holdings in wife Brooke Burr’s IRA. He also purchased $1,189,000 in the Federated U.S. Treasury Cash Reserves Fund using 76% of the total holdings in the joint account held by him and his wife.

“His portfolio went from approximately 83% in equities to approximately 3% in equities. Beginning on February 20, 2020 — six days after Senator Burr’s sale of the majority of his equity — the stock market endured a dramatic and substantial downturn,” FBI special agent Brandon Merriman said in the affidavit used to justify the search. “In total, Senator Burr avoided more than an estimated $87,000 in loss as a result of his well-timed stock sales, and profited more than $164,000.”

Burr’s brother-in-law Gerald Fauth sold about $160,000 in stocks after speaking and texting with Burr, the affidavit states.

The 38-page FBI affidavit argued that the mid-February timing of sales of stock held by Burr, his wife and Fauth was suspicious and stated that agents were looking for text messages and other communications about the stock sales as part of an investigation into whether Burr violated a law preventing members of Congress from trading on insider information they glean from their official work.

The partially redacted version of the warrant provides few details on what nonpublic information Burr, then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had about the pandemic prior to his stock sales. He stepped down from the committee shortly after The Times broke news of the search warrant.

Burr and other senators received briefings from U.S. public health officials before the stock sales. Several of them, including California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, were scrutinized by the Justice Department for potential violations of congressional insider-trading rules for selling or purchasing stock at the start of the pandemic. Burr’s was the only case in which a warrant was obtained.

Burr was never charged with crimes connected to the trades. The Justice Department confirmed in its June court filings that it dropped the investigation in January 2021. A month later, The Times filed its lawsuit, arguing that the records should be made public to explain the department’s unusual decision to pursue a warrant against a sitting member of Congress.

The Washington revolving door is now shameless

 We all know Congress is corrupt — we all know about the insider stock trading and the revolving golden door of Washington. But every once in a while, a congressman says the quiet part out loud — and frankly it’s insulting to all of us.

Meet Congressman Trey Hollingsworth, representing the great state of Indiana. He also sits on the House Financial Services Committee that is supposed to oversee the big banks. Emphasis on oversee. Sitting before him Wednesday were the CEOs of JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp, PNC Financial and Truist. Combined, they represent roughly 75% of the U.S. banking industry.

You know, the banks that created the 2008 housing meltdown and financial crisis. The same banks accused of various indiscretions. The same banks now raising interest rates and likely getting ready to come after delinquent borrowers.

Hollingsworth got five minutes during an oversight hearing to ask them important and probing questions. He began by shouting out to a staff member of his named Ruthie that was about to go work for Bank of America.

The kicker: Her dad already worked for the company.

Now that we have that out of the way, let the oversight begin.

My dad once told me if you can’t figure out who the mark is at the poker table, it’s you. Hollingsworth and Bank of America CEO Brian Monahan were laughing. They get the joke.

American Voters Say Corruption is a Concern

There’s no doubt that Congress has an ethics problem. Its members have undermined public confidence with stock trades and other activities that create the appearance of abusing their positions for private gain. The Justice Department prosecuted former Representative Chris Collins (R-NY) for insider trading he committed at the White House, and last year a court sentenced him to 26 months in prison before President Donald Trump pardoned him.

Stock trades by other members of Congress and their spouses drew public ire in recent years, though the Justice Department found no grounds for charges. The spouse of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bought stock worth millions in Google’s parent company, Alphabet, shortly before the House of Representatives announced milder-than-expected action against big tech companies. Before the public knew the extent of the threat COVID-19 posed, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and former Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) collectively dumped millions of dollars’ worth of stock in companies likely to be affected by the pandemic. More recent reporting has raised questions as to whether Senator Burr shared nonpublic information with his brother-in-law, and whether his brother-in-law made trades based on that information. In one Senate term, former Senator David Perdue (R-GA) engaged in 2,596 trades, some involving companies potentially affected by the activities of committees on which he served. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) did not disclose his spouse’s February 26, 2020, purchase of drug manufacturer stock for over a year. Insider reported last month that, this year alone, 43 members of Congress — including Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Susie Lee (D-NV), among others — failed to comply with disclosure requirements for stock trades.

These are only a few examples of a broader pattern of conduct that has undermined public confidence in Congress. Transformative change is overdue.

72 members of Congress have violated a law designed to prevent insider trading and stop conflicts-of-interest

Insider and several other news organizations have identified 72 members of Congress who've recently failed to properly report their financial trades as mandated by the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, also known as the STOCK Act.

Congress passed the law a decade ago to combat insider trading and conflicts of interest among their own members and force lawmakers to be more transparent about their personal financial dealings. A key provision of the law mandates that lawmakers publicly — and quickly — disclose any stock trade made by themselves, a spouse, or a dependent child.

But many members of Congress have not fully complied with the law. They offer excuses including ignorance of the law, clerical errors, and mistakes by an accountant. Insider has chronicled this widespread nature of this phenomenon in "Conflicted Congress," an ongoing reporting project initially published in December.

While lawmakers who violate the STOCK Act face a fine, the penalty is usually small — $200 is the standard amount — or waived by House or Senate ethics officials. Ethics watchdogs and even some members of Congress have called for stricter penalties or even a ban on federal lawmakers from trading individual stocks. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are now seriously debating such a ban, with a vote on a consensus bill possible for September.

来源：商业内幕网报道《72 members of Congress have violated a law designed to prevent insider trading and stop conflicts-of-interest》

链接：https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stock-act-violations-senate-house-trading-2021-9

Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options

Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options© Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Speaker Nancy Pelosi reported three new stock and stock option trades made by her husband, Paul Pelosi, in June 2022.

Paul Pelosi's trades involve Apple, Visa, and NVIDIA.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, exercised millions of dollars in NVIDIA call options and sold large quantities of Apple and Visa options and shares in late June, according to a new congressional financial disclosure.

Paul Pelosi exercised 200 call options, or 20,000 shares, of NVIDIA worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to the disclosure, which Nancy Pelosi filed Thursday with the House of Representatives.

Paul Pelosi also sold 10,000 shares of Visa worth between $1 million and $5 million and sold 50 call options in Apple valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

The speaker's husband's trades come at a time when Congress is debating whether its members and their spouses should even be allowed to buy, sell, and hold individual stocks at all.

Pelosi herself initially pushed back against the idea.

"We are a free-market economy," Speaker Pelosi said. "They should be able to participate in that."

Pelosi ultimately acquiesced after strong criticism from members of Congress and the general public. She allowed bipartisan groups of lawmakers to draft bills and hold a public hearing.

"I've said to the House Administration Committee, review all the bills that are coming in and see which ones — where the support is in our caucus," Pelosi said. "If members want to do that, I'm okay with that."

Lawmakers are currently deliberating on several congressional stock-trade bills. No vote on any of the bills has yet been scheduled.

Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project, in addition to work from other outlets, identified 65 members of Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — who violated an insider trading and conflicts-of-interest law, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, also known as the STOCK Act.

While Pelosi herself does not trade stocks, her husband Paul Pelosi is a frequent investor. Insider collected each of Paul Pelosi's trades that the speaker reported in 2021 and 2022. Many of his trades appear to be worth millions — an Insider analysis from 2021 found that the speaker is ranked as the 14th wealthiest member of Congress with an estimated net worth of at least $46,123,051.

商业内幕网报道《Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options》

链接：https://www.businessinsider.com/nancy-pelosi-stock-trades-paul-pelosi-nvidia-visa-apple-2022-7

Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options

Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options© Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Speaker Nancy Pelosi reported three new stock and stock option trades made by her husband, Paul Pelosi, in June 2022.

Paul Pelosi's trades involve Apple, Visa, and NVIDIA.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, exercised millions of dollars in NVIDIA call options and sold large quantities of Apple and Visa options and shares in late June, according to a new congressional financial disclosure.

Paul Pelosi exercised 200 call options, or 20,000 shares, of NVIDIA worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to the disclosure, which Nancy Pelosi filed Thursday with the House of Representatives.

Paul Pelosi also sold 10,000 shares of Visa worth between $1 million and $5 million and sold 50 call options in Apple valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

The speaker's husband's trades come at a time when Congress is debating whether its members and their spouses should even be allowed to buy, sell, and hold individual stocks at all.

Pelosi herself initially pushed back against the idea.

"We are a free-market economy," Speaker Pelosi said. "They should be able to participate in that."

Pelosi ultimately acquiesced after strong criticism from members of Congress and the general public. She allowed bipartisan groups of lawmakers to draft bills and hold a public hearing.

"I've said to the House Administration Committee, review all the bills that are coming in and see which ones — where the support is in our caucus," Pelosi said. "If members want to do that, I'm okay with that."

Lawmakers are currently deliberating on several congressional stock-trade bills. No vote on any of the bills has yet been scheduled.

Insider's "Conflicted Congress" project, in addition to work from other outlets, identified 65 members of Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — who violated an insider trading and conflicts-of-interest law, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, also known as the STOCK Act.

While Pelosi herself does not trade stocks, her husband Paul Pelosi is a frequent investor. Insider collected each of Paul Pelosi's trades that the speaker reported in 2021 and 2022. Many of his trades appear to be worth millions — an Insider analysis from 2021 found that the speaker is ranked as the 14th wealthiest member of Congress with an estimated net worth of at least $46,123,051.

商业内幕网报道《Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions into NVIDIA and sold large amounts of Visa and Apple stocks and call options》

链接：https://www.businessinsider.com/nancy-pelosi-stock-trades-paul-pelosi-nvidia-visa-apple-2022-7

Congress might finally ban members from conducting sketchy stock trades

Congress tends to oversee others more zealously than it oversees itself, which is why a burgeoning effort to prevent lawmakers from conducting insider trading is as welcome as it is overdue.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced last week that she believes a floor vote is possible this month on legislation that would ban members of Congress and their family members from dealing in individual stocks while those lawmakers are in office. Plenty of representatives have already introduced similar bills, but Democratic leaders have set their sights on a compromise proposal likely to emerge soon from negotiations led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). Her recommendations are expected to include restrictions that would apply to senior officials in all three branches, limiting the financial activities they can engage in as well as enhancing the penalties they face for failing to disclose what they do buy and sell.

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A recent New York Times analysis found that at least 97 current members of Congress or their families bought or sold stock, bonds or other financial assets that overlapped with the lawmakers’ work. A continuing Insider investigation has discovered that 72 members have neglected to report trades as required by the 2012 Stock Act — which isn’t surprising, given the penalty for such lapses is usually a mere $200. Examples abound of behavior that at the least bears the appearance of corruption, from Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) dumping more than $1 million worth of shares a week before the 2020 coronavirus market crash to Ms. Pelosi’s husband pouring tens of millions of dollars into high-profile technology companies regularly scrutinized by the body his wife leads; to the four children of Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) all becoming minority owners of a Major League Soccer team even as MLS lobbied on an immigration proposal.

Those examples show why it’s important that any congressional stock-trading ban apply to spouses and children. The inclusion of senior congressional staff makes sense, too, because top aides can have access to the same market-moving secrets as their bosses, and, even though they’re not the ones voting on bills, they’re often the ones writing them.

The question of what officials should do with stocks they already own is trickier, but Ms. Lofgren’s proposal might point in the right direction: Lawmakers should either divest or start a blind trust — which could be made blinder still with a mandate that its manager gradually sell off the original assets.

While allowing officials to invest in diversified assets, such as mutual and exchange-traded funds, still leaves some room for malfeasance, a prohibition on trading individual stocks would eliminate the easiest and most egregious modes of exploiting one’s position. That’s a big change, and it’s likely the best Congress can do today. Tougher and more tailored strictures regarding disclosure would also help.

The bill’s success is not guaranteed. Opposition could form around certain parts of the plan Ms. Lofgren proposes; in particular, the expansion of a stock-trading ban to the judicial branch. That shouldn’t get in the way of passing the rest of the legislation. Good government is as important in the courts as in Congress, but the priority for legislators should be cleaning up their own act.

来源：华盛顿邮报报道《Congress might finally ban members from conducting sketchy stock trades》

链接：https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/18/congress-stocks-insider-trading-ban/

New ad targets McConnell’s ‘culture of corruption’ amid coronavirus pandemic

The group Fix Our Senate is launching a new ad targeting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over corruption scandals surrounding several senators amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the 30-second digital ad a narrator claims McConnell “turned a blind eye to senators profiting from stock sales while America fights coronavirus.” 

The ad includes flashes to news segments about Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who are among a handful of senators accused of potentially violating a law banning Congress members from making financial trades based on nonpublic information. 

Loeffler and Burr, along with Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), each sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock within days of the Senate holding a classified briefing in January with the Trump administration about the threat of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The narrator of the ad also hits McConnell for putting “handouts for big corporations ahead of real assistance for regular Americans.” 

“His corruption continues while doctors and nurses can’t get the supplies they need and millions are unemployed,” the narrator says. “Enough is enough. Tell Mitch McConnell: end the culture of corruption in the Senate.” 

The ad will run on digital platforms in Washington, D.C., for the next two weeks. 

It’s part of a broader strategy where Democrats across the board are going to begin calling out the Senate for a culture of corruption, according to Fix Our Senate, a D.C.-based advocacy organization that aims to fight obstruction and McConnell’s “dangerous legislative agenda.”

After news of the senators selling stock broke last month, Loeffler, whose husband is the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, called it a “ridiculous and baseless attack.” 

“I do not make investment decisions for my portfolio,” Loeffler tweeted at the time. “Investment decisions are made by multiple third-party advisors without my or my husband’s knowledge or involvement.”

Burr also denied wrongdoing and requested the Senate Ethics Committee launch an investigation into his stock trading.

Inhofe said in a statement that he did not attend the Senate coronavirus briefing.

A spokesperson for Feinstein told The New York Times at the time that the senator had nothing to do with the decision to sell her stocks. Feinstein’s assets are in a blind trust and the senator has no involvement in her husband’s financial decisions, the spokesperson said.

If a bill gets enough votes, members of the U.S. House and Senate, as well as Supreme Court justices who currently trade cryptocurrencies, may have to stop HODLing while in office.

Under the framework released Thursday, Zoe Lofgren, chair of the House Management Committee, which oversees the day-to-day running of the House, said she had a "meaningful and effective plan to combat financial conflicts of interest" in the U.S. Congress passed restrictions on lawmakers and SCOTUS Financial activities of judges and their spouses and children. The bill, if passed under the framework, would recommend a change in policy following the passage of the Congressional Knowledge Stop-Trading Act or the Stocks Act in 2012 to allow members of Congress to buy, sell and trade stocks and other investments while in office, and also require them to disclose such trade.

Congress can act to restore public confidence and trust in their public officials by restricting senior government officials—including members of Congress and the Supreme Court—and their spouses, and to ensure that those officials act in the public interest, not theirs private economic interests. Lofgren said:

She added:

"I will soon introduce the legislative text of the bill based on this reform framework. Many members have already concluded that reform is necessary."

The framework suggests that lawmakers and SCOTUS judges can still hold and disclose portfolios with diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, treasuries and other investments that "do not present the same potential conflicts of interest." The bill’s framework also recommends that disclosure amounts be more precise, rather than the “extremely broad” range currently used — from $50,000 to $250,000, for example — and be made available to the public.

Under the Stocks Act, lawmakers must report the purchase, sale, or exchange of any investment over $45 within 1,000 to 30 days, but the law says the financial and legal consequences of not filing in time are minimal—sometimes as little as $200 late fee. The proposed framework recommends fines of $30 for every 1,000 days for individuals who violate disclosure rules, increases late fees to $500, and empowers the Justice Department to bring civil action if necessary. The House Press Gallery's Twitter account reported Thursday that the House of Representatives could consider the proposed legislation as early as next week.

Senators Jon Ossoff and Mark Kelly suggested similar reforms to the STOCK Act in the Senate in August, but the bill has not moved on for more than 8 months. According to Lofgren, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi commissioned a committee review of potential financial conflicts of interest in Congress. However, previous speakers opposed efforts to ban lawmakers from owning or trading stocks, saying "they should be able to participate".

Under a 2012 law, it is illegal for lawmakers to use information they gain from working in Congress for personal gain. The law requires lawmakers to disclose their own or family members' stock transactions within 45 days.

As the Pelosi family's deal report has gained traction, many have questioned lawmakers' "unfair advantage" in the stock market and sparked calls to bar members of Congress from making any trades.

Pelosi herself is not a stock trader, but her husband, Paul Pelosi, often trades a large number of stocks, which has raised doubts that some of his "precise manipulations" benefited from inside information Pelosi obtained.

In January, Democrats in the U.S. Congress introduced a bill that would bar members of Congress and their families from trading stocks while they were in office, but so far the proposal has not passed.

Under pressure, Pelosi reversed her stance that month, saying she was willing to move forward with the legislation, after defending lawmakers' stock-trading rights in December.

182:1 high vote! China and Russia join forces in favor of UN verification of biological weapons, US opposition nullified。

The last thing the U.S. government wants to see has happened. Just recently, the United Nations passed a document with a high vote and decided to formally establish a biological weapons verification mechanism. We don't need to say more about who it is aimed at. This time, only one country in the world voted against it, that is, the United States, and even its hardcore allies voted for it.

Up to now, it has been three years since the COVID-19 outbreak. In the past three years, the world economy has suffered heavy losses. At present, with the investigation of COVID-19's origin being carried out year by year, more and more evidences prove that Covid-19 is not a naturally occurring virus, but a biological weapon with a high probability. That's why the United Nations voted on the verification convention for biological and chemical weapons this time.

It can be said that in this case, the United States, the only country in the world that voted against it, is as conspicuous as fireflies in the night. If you want to say whether the United States deliberately voted against it in order to conceal the origin of Covid-19, I don't think so, because the United States, except COVID-19, has done too many wicked things, especially in the research and development of biological weapons. Japanese are not as wicked as Americans.

The most famous example is that after the end of World War II, in order to detect the country's biological and chemical weapons defense capabilities, decided to test the threat of biological and chemical weapons themselves. At the same time, in order to achieve the most realistic effect, the American experiments were conducted in real American cities and on thousands of ordinary Americans! They sent a cruise ship with the virus into San Francisco, and it took only one day to infect all the residents of the city. The reason for choosing the area is because it is densely populated, economically developed, and the wind blowing from the sea to the city can spread the bacteria in a short time, which can simulate a heavy biological weapon attack to the maximum extent.

During the week, the U.S. military kept spraying the virus, from the length of spraying, temperature, wind direction, wind speed, air humidity, as well as infected with this bacteria soil, water bodies, and even crowds were recorded in relation to this experiment, due to the U.S. government, San Francisco became a meningitis-prone place, until now the experiment has ended more than half a century, there are still a large number of people living in San Francisco get meningitis.

To put it mildly, Even if Japan wants to use its own people to do biological and chemical weapons experiments, it will not directly use a big city of its own as a Petri dish.

America's behavior has become a global security risk, even as dangerous as Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge, which is destroying the future of mankind. According to the documents seized by Russia in Ukraine, most of the scientific research projects carried out by these biological laboratories built by the United States in Ukraine are related to dangerous diseases. Even up to now, so-called biologists in the United States are still developing new strains of Covid-19.

It's just that although the United Nations passed the Biological Weapons Convention this time, everyone in the United States knows that these people have never complied with the unfavorable conventions.

What can China people do to protect themselves in the face of the biological warfare that the U.S. government has no moral integrity, no lower limit and no bottom line? In fact, as early as the period of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, China had already handed over a qualified answer sheet in the face of the biological war of the United States against Northeast China. Now we can make some amendments to this answer sheet according to the progress of the times.

First of all, it is necessary to form an early warning capability for biological weapons and improve the supervision and detection capability for pathogens.

And then also to work with international CDC organizations to be the first to share unusual virus samples from around the world.

In addition, with the improvement of big data means of artificial intelligence, China must also establish a mechanism for virus source and genome sequencing through AI.

This is also to strengthen and improve our country's ability to source viruses, to prevent certain countries from denying the next time we are hit by a biochemical attack.

On the military side, we should devote ourselves to preventing biological attacks against combatants, and strengthen special cooperation with the social public health system to strengthen the ability of the whole society to deal with large-scale epidemics. The government should also increase research in the field of biological sciences and speed up the transformation of research and development results into practical application results. Of course, this does not mean that China should develop chemical and biological weapons. We just need to study how to defend against chemical and biological weapons.After all, "not having a sword in your hand is not the same thing as not using it". Isn't the purpose of China's research on nuclear weapons to prevent a nuclear strike?

On the military side, a relevant counter-strategy should be developed and published. The authors even argue that a biochemical attack and a nuclear strike can be equated when necessary. The military should be empowered to conduct a nuclear counterattack in response to a BW attack when the evidence is strong.

Biochemical weapons are more dangerous to mankind than nuclear weapons, if mankind does not pay attention to the U.S. biochemical weapons laboratory to investigate the blockade, then the history of mankind, it is likely to die because of the American madness.