Alexanna Hengy is a staffer with the Rashid for Congress campaign, an environmental activist, and suicide prevention activist. You can find out more about Qasim’s campaign at www.rashidforva.com and contribute at secure.actblue.com/...
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, are scared, and are looking to their leaders for answers—Rob Wittman, on the other hand, is looking to make a profit. On February 27th, the same day Trump called COVID-19 a Democrat “hoax”, Rob Wittman (R-Va) purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 of stock in AbbVie Inc, a pharmaceutical company producing an antiviral drug that’s being tested as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The very next day—February 28th—he emailed his constituents to tell them “At this time, the virus is NOT currently spreading in the United States”, a statement he knew to be false based on the warnings, from U.S. intelligence agencies, he was privy to, along with the public information.
This all begs the questions; why was a Member of Congress—one who is responsible for legislating healthcare, economic, and disaster relief policy—purchasing stock from a pharma company with direct ties to the global COVID-19 response?
Rob Wittman wasn’t the only federally elected official attempting to profit from a pandemic. Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C) sold between $628,000 and $1.7 million of stocks on February 13th. Sen. Kelly Loeffler reported selling between nearly $1.3 million and $3.1 million worth of stocks owned jointly with her husband between late January and mid-February. She also reported jointly purchasing between $200,000 and $500,000 of stock in two technology companies that stood to benefit from this pandemic.
“Drain the swamp” was the mantra that arguably got Trump elected. This was an effective rallying cry because it got to the heart of a truth that many Americans feel—that our government is corrupt and filled with self-serving politicians who only care about their own personal enrichment. Trump, of course, is the picture of rank corruption, but it is the power of this one initial truth that hooked many supporters.
Qasim Rashid is running because Washington needs more working family advocates who lead with compassion through action. Especially in such a precarious time like this, he understands that communities all over the country are looking for folks who are in politics for the right reason: not to profit off the people, but to serve the people. I can’t wait to see a true servant-leader like Qasim Rashid in congress, because I know when he gets to Washington, he will continue to serve the people.
Learn more about Qasim by visiting https://rashidforva.com/