Pelosi defends lawmaker stock trades, citing ‘free market’
By BRIAN SLODYSKO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is defending lawmakers’ right to trade stocks. The practice has come under scrutiny because it offers members of Congress the potential to profit off of insider information gained through their official duties. But Pelosi says there’s no reason to bar them from participating, citing a “free market economy.” The issue of congressional stock trading has taken on new urgency since the beginning of the pandemic. Multiple investigations have probed suspiciously timed stock trades by lawmakers in both parties, though no one has yet been charged.
