Trump Goes After Pelosi For Delay In Congressional Trading Ban Bill: 'Look At Her Stocks...She Did Better Than Warren Buffett'

Zinger Key Points
  • Trading in financial assets by lawmakers has attracted increased scrutiny in recent years, primary due to potential conflict of interest.
  • Trump took potshots at Nancy Pelosi for her failure to see the bill through the House.

Donald Trump recently took potshots at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the delay in bringing to the floor a bill seeking a ban on trading by lawmakers before the Nov. 4 midterms elections, the Hill reported.

The former president was reportedly speaking at a rally in Mesa, Arizona, in support of Republic gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters, when he made the remarks.

What Happened: “Look at her stocks, I mean, she did better than Warren Buffett. I don’t know about her husband. I don’t know who the hell’s running that deal,” Trump said, according to the Hill.

“And now she doesn’t want to change it, where they’re allowed to get inside information.”

See also: Trump Is A 'Budding Authoritarian,' He Feels Natural Affinity With Authoritarians Abroad, Foreign Policy Expert Says

Pelosi told reporters in September that the legislation to ban trading by Congress members may go to vote in the House as early as that month.

No significant headway was made in the direction as Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who is also the House majority leader, said earlier this month that the legislation was on hold, at least until the Nov. 6 polls, the New York Times reported.

Hoyer's contention was it was an important issue that would require more time from the members of the House.

Why It’s Important: Pelosi found herself amid controversy after she and her husband sold shares of chipmaker Nvidia Corporation NVDA days ahead of the House discussing legislation for providing subsidies and tax credits for the semiconductor industry.

The sale came amid intense scrutiny over the couple's stock transactions. Although the sale netted a loss, Nvidia stock fell further in early September when the government mandated license restrictions for the sale of powerful chips to China and Russia. The timely sale helped the House speaker avoid massive losses on her family’s holdings.

About 97 lawmakers or their family members transacted in financial assets over the past three years that could be considered conflicts of interest, the New York Times said in a report in September.

Read Next: 10 Best Stock Traders In Congress In 2021 (Spoiler: Nancy Pelosi Isn't No. 1)

 

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