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A United States politician will resign as chairman of the Senate intelligence committee after FBI agents confiscated his mobile phone, according to reports.
Republican Senator Richard Burr is being investigated for his stock transactions before the US stock market. USA It collapsed earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There are reports that Burr and other senators sold shares after receiving private information about the risks of the COVID-19 crisis.
The FBI is apparently investigating whether Burr violated any laws on these transactions.
Burr has denied wrongdoing and said he relied solely on news reports to guide decisions about the sale of shares.
The United States Department of Justice has reportedly been investigating the exchanges Burr made since March.
He apparently sold shares in dozens of companies, including many in sectors affected by the pandemic, such as the hotel, restaurant and shipping industries.
Burr gave his phone to officers after they issued him a search warrant at his Washington home, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing an unidentified police official.
The FBI also recently issued an order to Apple to obtain information from Mr. Burr’s cloud storage for his iPhone, a separate law enforcement official told the newspaper.
Law enforcement officers used data from the technology company as part of the evidence to obtain the phone order, the report added.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Burr “contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to withdraw as chairman of the intelligence committee during the investigation.”
“We agreed that this decision would be in the best interest of the committee and will be effective at the end of tomorrow.”
