Stock-Dumping Republican Mocked After Tweeting Coronavirus Awareness Video

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., is facing backlash on Twitter after posting a video aimed at encouraging Americans to “stay strong” in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Loeffler was one of several members of Congress accused of selling off stocks after being briefed on the impending crisis.

Loeffler attended a closed door briefing on Jan. 24 alongside other lawmakers in which health officials described how a Covid-19 outbreak is likely to reach the United States and what it could mean. Later that day, Loeffler and her husband sold nearly $400,000 in stocks; this week, it was revealed that the couple had sold off an additional $18.7 million in stocks between Feb. 26 and March 11.

Loeffler has denied any wrong doing, stating that her investment decisions aren’t made by her and her husband but instead by “multiple third-party advisors.”

On Wednesday, Loeffler posted a short video to her Twitter account with the caption encouraging people to remember that “during these times, it’s the small, positive moments that remind us why we must stay strong.”

The senator from Georgia has, since her divestments came to light, faced severe criticism and has been accused of using privileged information about a national disaster to benefit financially. Many of Loeffler’s detractors weighed in on her coronavirus video tweet to mock her.

Author John Pavlovitz replied in a tweet that he liked “how you social distance from human decency.”

Another user asked if Loeffler had got in “early on the Trump body bags? I bet you’ll make a killing.”

A number of users also called on Loeffler to resign. One said that if she did, it “would brighten the day of millions of Americans sickened by knowing that you profited from insider info.”

Loeffler isn’t the only lawmaker facing heat. Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., are facing similar accusations of selling off millions in stocks before the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States.