Burr Stepping Down as Chair of Intelligence Panel Amid Probe
- FBI reported to have seized his mobile phone on Wednesday
- Intelligence panel chairman sold stock after virus briefing
Senator Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, speaks during a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 3, 2020.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergRepublican Senator Richard Burr is temporarily stepping down as chairman of the Intelligence Committee amid a federal investigation into whether he sold stocks as a result of secret briefings on the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Senator Burr contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the pendency of the investigation,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. “We agreed that this decision would be in the best interests of the committee and will be effective at the end of the day tomorrow.”