Even people leaking information to the press about sensitive government investigations make mistakes. The golf pro Phil Mickelson, who was implicated in an insider trading-investigation in articles in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on May 30, may not be a target of the investigation.
According to both news organizations, the FBI in New York and the Security and Exchange Commission have for two years been investigating well-timed trades in Clorox involving Carl Icahn, Mickelson, and professional gambler Billy Walters. Mickelson was said to have traded Clorox, possibly based on tips about Icahn’s investing activities that were transmitted through Walters, a sometime golf and poker partner and friend to both men. But as the Times reported on Thursday:
