Obama Facing Questions Re: Investments

Obama faces questions on his blind trust
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) said Wednesday he was not aware he had invested in two companies backed by some of his top donors and said he had done nothing to aid their business with the government.

The Illinois senator faced questions about more than $50,000 in investments he made right after taking office in 2005 in two speculative companies, AVI Biopharma and Skyterra Communications. Obama said his broker bought the stocks as part of a quasi-blind trust in which he was not consulted when trades were made.

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Obama purchased $5,000 in shares for AVI, which was developing a drug to treat avian flu. Two weeks after buying the stock, as the disease was spreading in Asia, Obama pushed for more federal funding to fight the disease, but he said he did not discuss the matter with any company officials.

I am noticing a trend of stories by Nedra Pickler on Barack Obama. The last one I blogged about was Obama's Ancestors: Slave Owners?