Pelosi defended congressional stock trading, stating that the U.S. is a «a free-market economy» and that lawmakers «should be able to participate in that.»
Former President Donald Trump said this week that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should not be allowed to trade individual stocks, joining an ongoing debate as to whether or not congressional lawmakers should be given such privileges. «She has inside information. It’s not right. It’s not appropriate,» Trump told the right-wing outlet Breitbart during an interview on Wednesday. «She should not be allowed to do that with the stocks. She should not be allowed to do that. It’s not fair to the rest of this country.» Trump’s comments, while aimed specifically at Pelosi, add to a growing number of calls to prohibit members of Congress or their family members from trading stocks while holding positions in office. Earlier this week, President Joe Biden said the debate should be left up to congressional leadership, as some lawmakers have recently proposed legislation to ban such practices. «The president didn’t trade individual stocks when he was a senator. That is how he approached things,» White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
