Herbalife shares closed up 2.2 percent, to $66.16, Monday in the wake of a New York Times report about activist investor Bill Ackman’s alleged attempts to influence lawmakers against the company in an effort to protect the $1 billion short he made against Herbalife.

“There should be no question any longer about Ackman’s motives, his techniques and his goals,” the company said in a statement in response to the report.