Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Donald Trump’s nominee for HHS secretary, became a source of controversy on Tuesday after CNN published a piece that suggested he was guilty of insider trading. Price, the piece surmised, immorally supported legislation that would benefit a company in which he had purchased stock.
Trump’s transition team is demanding CNN retract the “blatantly false story.” In a statement released Wednesday morning, they provide facts they say CNN could have easily found via House Financial Disclosure Filings. Had they done that little bit of research, the reporters would have found that the trades in question were made without Price’s knowledge.
- Dr. Price learned of the purchase of Zimmer Biomet on April 4, 2016, when his financial advisor sent him a list of trades to be disclosed on his House Periodic Transaction Report (PTR).
- Dr. Price submitted the PTR reflecting the March trades on April 15, 2016.
- Dr. Price began work on his legislative effort to delay the comprehensive joint replacement demonstration project in 2015 in order to preserve treatment options for patients. He sent a Dear Colleague letter regarding this effort on September 21, 2015.
As you can see, the timeline proves Price’s innocence.
Yet, CNN and the Obama administration continue to push an opposing narrative.