Recovering from surgery, Burr is absent from Capitol Hill as stock-sale records drop

Sen. Richard Burr isn’t in Washington the week that the U.S. Senate reconvenes on Capitol Hill. Instead he is home recovering from a hip replacement surgery.

“The procedure was successful and I’m doing well,” Burr announced in a news release Monday night. “I’ll be closely monitoring votes during my absence and look forward to rejoining my colleagues in Congress next week.”

Today marked the U.S. Senate’s return following its August recess., While the week isn’t expected to be eventful in the Senate, Burr’s personal life was.

Today also marked the day that more information was released about why the Department of Justice investigated allegations that Burr committed insider trading — a case that closed in Jan. 2021 with no charges filed against North Carolina’s senior senator.

The documents detail how a “well-timed” stock sale at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic saved Burr from an estimated $87,000 in losses. Instead he gained more than $164,000, the documents say. The documents also provide a timeline that examines Burr’s mentality toward the pandemic at the time of his sales.

The Los Angeles Times had petitioned the court to release federal records that led to investigators seizing Burr’s cell phone in 2020 but lost its case at first. But because Burr and his brother-in-law’s attorney had publicly discussed the investigation and a parallel Securities and Exchange Commission investigation had been revealed, the DOJ acknowledged its probe in court records. The same federal judge changed her mind and ordered the DOJ to release more information.

The documents, with less information hidden from view compared to others released earlier this summer, were made public just before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Lawmakers have begun their yearly countdown of needing to pass a spending bill by Sept. 30 to keep the federal government from a shutdown, though movement on that front is not expected this week. The House doesn’t return to Washington until Monday.

Tuesday also marks nine weeks before the general election. But Burr will not be on the ballot. He is retiring following his fourth term.

Former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, a Democrat and U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican, are campaigning to replace Burr in the Senate.