Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters as Congress prepares to vote on the biggest reshaping of the U.S. tax code in three decades, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Bob Corker says he will leave the U.S. Senate next January in a similar financial standing as when he was first elected in 2006, and he insists he isn’t likely to immediately benefit much, if at all, by the federal tax overhaul he voted for last month that could benefit real estate investors like himself.
“My net worth has gone up slightly, but it is relatively in the same range as when I came into the Senate,” the Tennessee Republican said last week during a wide-ranging interview with Times Free Press reporters and editors.
Corker was denounced by his critics for switching his vote last month after initially voting against supporting the GOP tax overhaul package.
After an article appeared in the International Business Times saying he and a dozen colleagues would benefit, social media exploded with the hashtag “#Corkerkickback.”
It was the latest blow in a tough year for the former Chattanooga mayor and current Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman. The blunt-spoken Corker began 2017 at the top of his game only to run into an ongoing feud with President Donald Trump over his publicly critical remarks about the president.