US Senate leader 'subpoenaed' over shares

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider…

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading, The Washington Postreported today.

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the subpoena within the past two weeks, the newspaper reported.

A spokesman for Mr Frist, a Tennessee Republican, was not immediately available for comment.

Mr Frist's aides previously said he had been contacted by regulators but did not mention that he had received a formal request for documents, the Washington Postsaid.

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Authorities are looking into Mr Frist's recent sale of shares of hospital operator HCA, co-founded by his father and brother. The sales took place just days before HCA's stock price fell on a disappointing July 13th profit outlook.

The newspaper, citing sources, said Mr Frist was expected to testify under oath about what he knew about HCA's financial standing in the weeks before the stock sales.

Mr Frist, viewed widely as a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said last month he had no inside information about the coming profit forecast when he began taking steps in April that led to the stock sale, which was completed on July 8th.