To the Editor:
Let’s not lose our faith in Rep. Moran’s ability to surprise.
As background, he gamely decided to co-sponsor the STOCK Act which prohibits congressmen from buying or selling securities based on “congressional nonpublic” information.
So, with the news that he insider-traded 90 stocks the day after his “congressional nonpublic” meeting with the Federal Reserve Chairman and the Secretary of the Treasurer still fresh in mind, now we see a press release on the STOCK Act’s passage from Jim Moran that, given the circumstances, I would have expected from the professional satirists at The Onion.
Some excerpts:
“Lawmakers should be focused on improving our country, not inflating personal profit," said Rep. Moran. (Hmmm, what was Rep. Moran focused on that Wednesday before the financial collapse when he executed 90 stock trades: “country” or “personal profit”? And how long does it take to dump 90 stocks? Or did you tell your stockbroker to do it for you? And what did he then advise the rest of his clients to do?)
"The reforms put in place by the STOCK Act have real staying power to make our ethics rules stronger, improve transparency and help instill greater confidence in elected officials," Moran concluded.
The writer is a candidate in Virginia’s 8th District.
OK. Well-played Sir. But just to set the record straight, you are the “elected official” who “personally profited” from the pre-STOCK Act’s lack of transparency and weak ethics rules.
And your brazen press release only instilled greater confidence in your knack for satire — not your commitment to ethical behavior.
Bruce Shuttleworth