Conflicted Congress

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, the Florida congressman who was in the running to be former President Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, is in some hot water over his stock trades.Donalds and his wife made over 100 trades, valued between $108,000 and $1.6 million, over the course of 2022 and 2023.Though he disclosed those trades in…

Sen. Bob Menendez took bribes of cash, gold, and other luxury items, according to a new indictment. But there's a way more legal way to make money as a senator — just write a best-selling book! Menendez did write a book back in 2009, but he hasn't disclosed any significant income from it. Loading Something…

Senators raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from book sales in 2022, disclosures show. Six of them made more than the $174,000 salary they receive as senators. They include Sens. Raphael Warnock, Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Scott, and others. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a…

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last year that he wanted to tackle the issue of stock trading in Congress. But a year later, there's little sign he plans to act on that anytime soon. In a letter exclusively shared with Insider, several lawmakers are pressing for answers from him. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for…

DeSantis made over $1 million for his book advance when he wrote "The Courage to Be Free." It's a large sum for someone who previously was worth only about $319,000. DeSantis still has student loans, though they've gone down about $2,000. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a…

DeSantis began retaliating against Disney World this week, including with allies in the legislature. One key ally, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, previously held Disney stock but said he sold on principle. A top Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, also has Disney shares.  Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in…

In his first run for Congress two years ago, Republican George Santos disclosed having almost no assets. In 2022, Santos — elected to Congress in November — reported millions of dollars in asserts, including a massive income and pricey apartment in Brazil. A new New York Times report revealed several inaccuracies in Santos' reported resume.…

After buying Twitter, Elon Musk now leads two companies — Twitter and Tesla — with popular stock. Insider found more than a dozen members of Congress or their spouses traded stocks in one or both companies in 2022. Congress is debating whether members and their families should be banned from trading individual stocks. Loading Something…

Rep. Madison Cawthorn just violated a federal conflict-of-interest law, the STOCK Act, for the third time this year. Cawthorn in January sold up to $50,000 in Let's Go Brandon coin, a cryptocurrency, but waited months to disclose it. The House Ethics Committee recently fined Cawthorn $15,000 for purchasing the cryptocurrency on terms more favorable than…

Insider and other media have identified numerous US lawmakers not complying with the federal STOCK Act. Their excuses range from oversights, to clerical errors, to inattentive accountants. Congress is now considering banning lawmakers from trading individual stocks. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on…