Contrary to his testimony, Representative Tom Price (R-Ga.), President Donald Trump's pick to head the US Department of Health and Human Services, received a special price on shares of Innate Immunotherapeutics, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to Innate Immunotherapeutics, Price was one of fewer than 20 people in the US who were invited to buy discounted shares, some 12 percent off the traded price, the Journal says. Price was invited to take part in the private placement by Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), a company director and the company's largest shareholder, it adds.
This, the Journal says, contrasts with what Price said in his Senate confirmation hearings. It notes that he testified that the shares he bought "were available to every single individual that was an investor at the time." The discounted price, however, was available to all shareholders in Australia and New Zealand, but not in the US.
A separate article in the Wall Street Journal adds that Senate Democrats are holding up Price's confirmation vote, among others, because of questions surrounding this stock purchase. "The evidence is the company is directly contradicting Congressman Price, indicating that he didn't tell the truth and he misled the Congress, and he misled the American people," says Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, say Democrats are being obstructionists.