Pelosi's stock trading legacy haunts Democrats as Jeffries slams GOP freshman's 'thievery'
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is accusing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of "hypocrisy" for slamming freshman GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan's stock trading despite the same issue having plagued the Democratic Party for years.
"It's rich for Hakeem Jeffries and national Democrats to suddenly care about stock trading when their real leader, Nancy Pelosi, and members of their own caucus make traders on Wall Street look like amateurs at a penny arcade. This political pandering is lame," Mike Marinella, NRCC spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The New York Times and Business Insider reports this year revealed Bresnahan has continued trading stocks since joining Congress, despite vowing to ban stock trading if elected. And since introducing legislation to ban stock trading and vowing to form a blind trust, the Pennsylvania Republican continued trading stocks.
"Enough with the thievery. This guy is getting richer while everyday Americans struggle to live paycheck to paycheck. When we take back the House, we will put an end to this blatant corruption," Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on X.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have benefited from trading stocks while serving in office. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reintroduced legislation this year to ban members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks while in office. Hawley first introduced the "PELOSI Act" in 2023.
Perhaps no representative has faced more scrutiny for stock trading than Jeffries' predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
In one such example, Pelosi's husband sold 2,000 Visa shares last year for at least $500,000, a few months before the federal government sued the company. Such trades must be legally disclosed under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.
This year, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, slammed President Donald Trump's tariffs on "Liberation Day," then purchased $100,000 and $250,000 in Apple stock, according to his financial disclosures reported by Southeast Politics. He has also purchased Tesla shares since Trump's inauguration.
And as the stock market was fluctuating around "Liberation Day," Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., bought 23 stocks, worth between $23,023 and $345,000, and sold two stocks, worth between $2,002 and $30,000, Sun Sentinel reported.
But they weren't the only Democrats who cashed in on Trump's "Liberation Day." Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, sold dozens of individual stock holdings in the hours before April 2, according to NOTUS.
Justin Chermol, spokesperson for Jeffries, told Fox News Digital, "House Democrats will not be lectured by a Republican Party that has openly embraced corruption in the Trump administration, the Supreme Court and the Congress."
"If MAGA extremists actually cared about the stock trading issue, House Republican leaders would immediately bring a bill to the floor that will ban stock trading by current members of Congress. They have refused to do it," Chermol added.
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Chicago Tribune
12 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump break up, and Washington holds its breath
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24 minutes ago
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