Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got some very bad news early Thursday morning. Her Democratic Party allies attempts to shield Congress from real oversight on insider trading didn’t work.
President Donald Trump unleashed a furious attack on Republican Sen. Josh Hawley Wednesday after the Missouri GOP lawmaker joined with Democrats to advance a bill regarding a congressional stock trading ban, while Nancy Pelosi appeared agitated when confronted about insider trading allegations on CNN.
Trump accused Hawley of “SABOTAGE” and enabling Democrats to target him — not Pelosi — after Hawley’s PELOSI Act cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8-7 vote, with the Missouri senator joining all Democrats to advance the legislation.
“Very much like SABOTAGE! The Democrats, because of our tremendous ACHIEVEMENTS and SUCCESS, have been trying to ‘Target’ me for a long period of time, and they’re using Josh Hawley, who I got elected TWICE, as a pawn to help them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I don’t think real Republicans want to see their President, who has had unprecedented success, TARGETED, because of the ‘whims’ of a second-tier Senator named Josh Hawley!” Trump continued.
Democrats included part of the bill that would subject the president and vice president to a trading ban, in addition to congressional members. Hawley agreed to include this provision to secure Democratic support after facing opposition from Committee Chairman Rand Paul, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
It is largely seen as a way for the Democrats to encourage Trump to veto the bill, preserving the Pelosi families stock trading empire.
“This was a last-minute deal struck to include the Executive Branch equities without touching base with the White House to discuss potential Article II concerns. Any pause comes purely from potential Article II infringement, not the Congressional ban,” The White House Office of Legislative Affairs told Axios.
Trump initially expressed openness to the concept of a congressional ban on stock trading.
“I like it conceptually and you know Nancy Pelosi became rich by having inside information. She made a fortune with her husband, and I think that’s disgraceful. I study these things really carefully, and this just happened. So I’ll take a look at it. What I do think is Nancy Pelosi should be investigated.”
But the president later erupted over Hawley’s approach, which he said was manipulated by Pelosi’s allies to benefit her
“I wonder why Hawley would pass a Bill that Nancy Pelosi is in absolute love with — He is playing right into the dirty hands of the Democrats. It’s a great Bill for her, and her ‘husband,’ but so bad for our Country!”
“Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years,” Trump wrote.
Pelosi was defensive when confronted about the insider trading allegations during a CNN interview Wednesday. When host Jake Tapper attempted to read Trump’s accusations that she became rich “by having inside information,” Pelosi quickly snapped.
“Why do you have to read that?” Pelosi erupted. “We’re here to talk about the 60th anniversary of Medicaid. That’s what I agreed to come to talk…and what that means in the election.”
When Tapper pressed her for a response to Trump’s insider trading accusations, Pelosi called them “ridiculous.”
“That’s ridiculous. In fact, I very much support the stop the trading of members of Congress. Not that I think anybody is doing anything wrong. If they are, they are prosecuted, and they go to jail. But because of the confidence it instills in the American people, don’t worry about this,” Pelosi said.
However, she defended her family’s investment activities, which have returned profits almost every time and swelled her fortune to hundreds of millions of dollars.
“But I have no concern about the obvious investments that have been made over time. I’m not into it. My husband is, but it isn’t anything to do with anything insider. But the president has his own exposure, so he’s always projecting. He’s always projecting, and let’s not give him any more time on that, please.”
Take a look —
🚨 BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi just had an absolute MELTDOWN when Jake Tapper brought up her insider trading
This is incredible 🤣
“Why do you have to read that?! That’s not what I agreed to come and talk about!”
What are you hiding, Nancy?! pic.twitter.com/isEuvSIhb4
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 30, 2025
The Pelosi’s estimated net worth is $262 million, according to Quiver Quantitative. In one notable controversial trade from 2022, Paul Pelosi traded between $1 million and $5 million worth of semiconductor stocks just days before Congress voted on a massive subsidy to the industry.
During Wednesday’s committee hearing, Sen. Rick Scott, the wealthiest member of the Senate and a key Trump ally, clashed with Hawley over the legislation.
“This idea that we are going to attack people because they make money is absolutely wrong,” Scott argued. “I think it’s disgusting what’s going on here. But I completely agree with you, we’ve got to stop people from trading stocks but this [bill] is way different.”
When Scott questioned the bill’s provisions for illiquid assets, Hawley shot back: “You’re concerned about the illiquid asset provision? It’s the same one you voted for last year.”
Chairman Rand Paul opposed advancing the legislation, telling Axios it could prevent people like Trump from being president and add another hurdle for people considering running for office. Paul hinted at a political exchange for scheduling the vote, saying it was “to get two bills that I want passed through without being beleaguered by amendments.”
Hawley defended his position on Fox News Wednesday evening, dismissing Trump’s attacks and maintaining his focus on Pelosi:.
“Pelosi should not just be investigated, but prosecuted. Needs to be illegal. You shouldn’t be able to get rich by trading on information that only you have,” he said.
The PELOSI Act, originally named the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments Act, was heavily marked up during the committee process and renamed the “Honest Act.” The legislation bans members of Congress and their spouses from trading individual stocks while in office.