Frist Makes Martha Stewart look like a shoplifter

[mburbank]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist received regular updates on his holdings in HCA, according to a published report, which would seem at odds with his earlier statements about his knowledge and control over his holdings.

The Washington Post reported Monday that trustees who controlled his holdings have written to Frist and the Senate 15 times since 2001 detailing the sale of assets from or the contribution of assets to trusts of Frist and his family. Those communications included notice of the addition of HCA (Research) shares worth $500,000 to $1 million in 2001 and HCA stock worth $750,000 to $1.5 million in 2002, according to the report.

Frist, who is widely reported to be weighing a run for president in 2008, is facing an investigation by both the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission into his instructions to the trustee to sell all of its holdings of HCA stock in June. Within weeks of that sale, HCA shares fell sharply because of a weak earnings report.

Frist has said he possessed only publicly available and not "insider" information about the company even though it was founded by his father and his brother, Thomas F. Frist Jr., is a former chairman and CEO of the company and remains on its board. His brother is still the largest individual shareholder of the company with nearly a four percent stake of 16.9 million shares. Bill Frist's stake in HCA at the time of his trust's final sale of its stock in June has not been disclosed.

Frist has characterized the trusts that hold the stock as totally blind. The Post quotes a television interview he gave in January 2003 after assuming the Senate leadership post in which he said, "So as far as I know, I own no HCA stock." But the paper reports that two weeks before that interview, M. Kirk Scobey Jr., a Frist trustee, informed the senator in writing that one of his trusts had received HCA stock valued at between $15,000 and $50,000.

"He (Frist) could have been more exact in his comments," Bob Stevenson, spokesman for Frist, told the paper. Stevenson added that Frist might better have said he did not know to what extent he owned HCA shares.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

15 times in four years does seem like a lot, however who knows if he even reads that shit? His stockholders probably all mail him 15 times over the course of four years.

But it looks more and more likely that this guy did dump 'em. So much for President Frist.

[davinxtk]

Three years until elections and we're already weeding out candidates based on financial indescretion.

I love this country.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

But it isn't three years, we're talking really more like two years, and wait, we're actually talking ambitions that are calculated out over an entire career.

Everybody knows Frist had his eye on the White House, and everybody knows this will kill those chances. Might as well say it now, and spare ourselves of an annoying Frist campaign.....

[davinxtk]

It seems you thought I was being sarcastic. I'm actually thrilled, for the very reason you gave: we can now "spare ourselves of an annoying Frist campaign".

At least we're getting to this business now and not during his campaign, or even after his eventual possible (however unlikely) election.


Oh, and it really is a little more like three years and ten days until the next election, Kevin. November 4, 2008.

[Dr. Boogie]

Frist is toast.

Also, to paraphrase Jon Stewart, I'd shed a tear for him, but then I'd have to put a condom on my face.