N&O: “Cooper is telling Whatley to put his money where his mouth is”
RALEIGH – On Tuesday, Roy Cooper called on Washington DC insider Michael Whatley to sell his individual stocks and commit to not buying or trading individual stocks regardless of whether a congressional stock trading ban passes. This comes as Whatley reported owning millions in individual stocks on his latest financial disclosure and has already profited from policy decisions he championed as a candidate.
News & Observer: Roy Cooper challenges Michael Whatley to sell stocks now if he believes in ban
Danielle Battaglia
- Cooper is telling Whatley to put his money where his mouth is.
- “If Michael Whatley truly believes public service is about serving North Carolinians and not boosting his own portfolio, he should commit to selling his individual stocks today,” Cooper, the Democratic former governor of North Carolina, said in a news release first provided to McClatchy.
- [Whatley’s] investments include pharmaceutical, oil and technology stocks, among other things.
- “Whatley has already profited from policy decisions he championed, eroding what little trust people already have in Washington politicians,” Cooper said in the news release, which linked to an article about Whatley and his family’s stock holdings in oil companies. “I believe candidates must earn the trust of North Carolinians, which is why I didn’t own or trade any individual stocks as Governor, don’t own or trade individual stocks as a candidate, and it’s why I won’t as U.S. Senator, regardless of whether a ban is passed – Michael Whatley should commit to doing the same.”
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