Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) shared that his wife bought stock in the company behind the antiviral drug known as remdesivir, a drug used to treat COVID-19.
According to The Washington Post, Kelley Paul invested in Gilead Sciences on February 26, 2020, before the World Health Organization classified the virus as a pandemic.
The disclosure did not come until 16 months after the deadline set by the Stock Act of 45 days. The Stock Act is designed to stop insider trading.
A spokeswoman for the senator, Kelsey Cooper, said Rand Paul learned recently that a reporting form for his wife’s investment had not been transmitted. Cooper explained Rand Paul approached the Senate Ethics Committee for guidance.
She said he filed both the supplemental report and the annual disclosure on Wednesday. It was due in May. Kelley Paul reportedly lost money on the investment. She used her own earnings to invest.
James D. Cox, a professor of law at Duke University, told the Post, “The senator ought to have an explanation for the trade and, more importantly, why it took him almost a year and a half to discover it from his wife.”
The disclosure comes as Rand Paul continues to voice his opposition to Covid mandates, as IJR reported.
He told his followers in a video posted to Twitter Sunday, “It’s time for us to resist. They can’t arrest all of us. They can’t keep all of your kids home from school. They can’t keep every government building closed. … We don’t have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats. We can simply say, ‘No. Not again.'”
He added, “Nancy Pelosi, you will not arrest, or stop me or anyone on my staff from doing our jobs. We have either had Covid, had the vaccine, or been offered the vaccine. We will make our own health choices. We will not show you a passport. We will not wear a mask. We will not be forced into random screenings and testings so you can continue your drunk with power reign over the Capitol.”
The Republican lawmaker also received a one-week suspension from YouTube after he posted a video questioning the effectiveness of masks, as IJR reported.