Trump criticizes Josh Hawley for insider trading bill

President Trump recently criticized his close ally in Congress, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), for voting on a bill that aims to prohibit stock trading by lawmakers, presidents, and vice presidents. Trump accused Hawley of aligning with Democrats to bring the measure forward, which proposes to prevent congressional lawmakers and their spouses from engaging in stock trading, while also restricting presidents and vice presidents from trading stocks in future administrations.

In a social media post, Trump voiced his displeasure at Hawley for voting with Democrats 8-7 to advance the bill out of committee. He questioned why Hawley, the only Republican on the panel to side with Democrats, would support blocking a review initiated by Senator Rick Scott, with the backing of other Republicans, into Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading over the last 25 years. Trump’s criticisms intensify as he claimed that Hawley was being manipulated by Democrats to undermine the president, labeling the situation as “SABOTAGE.”

Interestingly, earlier in the day, Trump had expressed initial approval of the bill, stating that he favored it “conceptually.” However, his remarks quickly shifted to attacking Nancy Pelosi, making unfounded claims of insider trading against the former Speaker. Despite Republican criticisms of Pelosi’s husband’s stock trading activities, no concrete evidence of wrongdoing has been presented. Shortly following Trump’s comments and the Senate committee vote, Pelosi expressed support for the bill, which she previously backed.

Before the bill advanced in committee, Senator Rick Scott urged Hawley to collaborate in enhancing the legislation. Ultimately, Hawley, along with Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), took a further step by broadening the ban to include future presidents and vice presidents, in addition to dropping the reference to Pelosi from the bill’s title. Trump’s disapproval towards Hawley continued to escalate as he accused the Missouri Republican of playing into Democrats’ hands, portraying him as a pawn in their agenda to target the president.

“The Democrats have long sought to ‘Target’ me due to our tremendous achievements and success, and they are now leveraging Josh Hawley, whom I supported in two winning elections, to advance their objectives,” Trump criticized. He further questioned Hawley’s decision to support a bill that Nancy Pelosi favored, insinuating that it benefits her and her husband while being detrimental to the country. Trump also emphasized that he believes genuine Republicans would not condone targeting a president with such unparalleled accomplishments as a response to the actions of a lesser-ranked Senator like Hawley.