To the Editor:

Re “Senator Sold Pricey Stocks, Then Raised Virus Alarms” (news article, March 20):

I worry less about the legality of the investment sales by Senator Richard Burr on the heels of a classified briefing about the coronavirus than I do about the morality of his actions, and that of other senators.

How is it that he could get a scary briefing, then profit from it while making cheery public statements about our readiness for Covid-19? President Trump was downplaying the threat, but the senators knew how serious the threat was. Yet they misled constituents. Mr. Burr even said the United States was more prepared than “any other country” to meet the threat. Really?

The senators’ oath requires them to “support and defend” the Constitution against enemies, foreign and domestic. Arguably, such enemies include Covid-19, a far larger danger than, say, Iran. In misleading us, Mr. Burr ignored his oath.

Frank McNeil

Boca Raton, Fla.

The writer was principal deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research in the Reagan administration.