Internal conflict among Senate Republicans intensified this week following a contentious vote on legislation that would ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks while in office.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo), and originally named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)., has reignited long-standing tensions over ethics in public office, with the latest iteration sparking backlash from GOP senators, President Donald Trump and conservative activists.
The legislation, rebranded as the “Honest Act” after Senate Democrats agreed to support it, passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in a narrow vote.
Every Democrat on the committee voted in favor, alongside Hawley.
All other Republicans voted against it, voicing concerns about the bill’s sudden appearance, last-minute changes and perceived targeting of Trump.
The committee hearing was marked by heightened emotions as the bill moved forward.
Shortly after the vote, Trump reportedly delivered a strong rebuke to Hawley, who had championed the legislation.
The president was allegedly told by multiple individuals that the new language in the bill could force him to sell off properties such as Mar-a-Lago and divest from his personal assets.
In response, Hawley publicly pushed back on those claims and defended the bill’s content.
“What he said is that he had a number of people call him and say that the bill has been changed at the last minute to force him to sell Mar-a-Lago and divest all of his assets, which is, of course, totally false,” Hawley stated. “It explicitly exempts him.”
Politico highlighted that according to Hawley, the misunderstanding was resolved quickly during a follow-up phone call with Trump.
“He thinks we should do a stock trade ban,” Hawley said of Trump’s position.
The Missouri senator added that the two men were back on good terms and emphasized that the legislation’s core focus is on banning congressional stock trading—a measure he believes is necessary for restoring trust in public office.
Fox Business reported that Hawley also clarified that he and Trump did not discuss the newly added provision applying to future presidents and vice presidents, a clause inserted during negotiations with Senate Democrats.
“The bottom line is that the congressional ban is the core of this,” he said. “I mean, that is who, that’s where the ethics issues have been.”
The revised bill prohibits members of Congress and their spouses from buying, selling or holding individual stocks for the duration of their time in office.
In exchange for Democratic support, a new provision was added barring the next sitting president and vice president from trading or owning individual stocks while in office.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Trump and Hawley spoke directly about the bill and that the president supports the concept of preventing lawmakers from enriching themselves during their time in office.
“The reason that this idea to put a ban on stock trading for members of Congress is even a thing is because of Nancy Pelosi,” Leavitt said, pointing to Pelosi’s well-publicized stock trades as a driving force behind the legislation.
Still, the bill faces an uncertain path forward.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) expressed doubt that the measure would come to the Senate floor, citing the lack of broader Republican support.
“Only one Republican voted for it,” Thune noted, referencing Hawley.
That opposition has led to questions about whether the GOP can coalesce around any stock trading reform bill without further fracturing its ranks.
Fox further noted that Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), one of the Republicans who voted against the bill, was among those who reached out to Trump to raise concerns.
Scott said the timing and contents of the legislation were deeply troubling.
“It was a bill that we got right at the last minute,” he said. “It clearly targeted the president. I didn’t understand why he would team up with the Democrats to target the president and I didn’t understand why he voted against having a review of Pelosi’s trades.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) who initially co-sponsored Hawley’s earlier version of the bill, also distanced himself from the updated draft.
Moreno said key provisions had been added without his knowledge, including a controversial ban on holding stablecoins—a type of cryptocurrency often used as digital cash equivalents.
“Like if you have money in the bank account, that would be a federal crime right now, which is nuts,” Moreno told Fox News Digital.
When asked whether he believed Democrats on the committee were working to undermine the bill’s credibility or weaponize it politically, he responded, “Of course.”
Moreno also criticized Hawley and others for labeling the bill as bipartisan.
“They’re going around, walking around, calling it a bipartisan bill. It’s like, why would you give them that? And by the way, it’s not a serious bill,” he said.
“But we gave them a talking point. Like why would we do that?”
The post Someone Lied to the President? Trump, MAGA Firebrand Restore Fractured Relationship as Infighting Erupts Over Pelosi-Inspired Bill appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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