The days of Maine’s Democrat congresswoman’s secretly trading stock could be coming closer to an end.
Chellie Pingree, who last year was caught hiding her market trades, may soon have to count her money in full view of her constituents.
Elaine Luria, a former House Democrat mounting a comeback bid for a battleground Virginia district, is campaigning in favor of a congressional stock-trading ban.
“It’s incumbent on members of congress to set an example,” Luria said, according to the Washington Post.
Luria formerly opposed the ban – until she lost her seat to a Republican, Jen Kiggans.
The defeat apparently gave her religion, as Luria now says she supports the measure.
The campaign arm for House Republicans labeled Luria a “prolific stock trader” as it blasted her for attending a fundraiser in Washington on Monday hosted by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have supported banning members of congress from trading stocks, but that measure has faced gridlock on Capitol Hill, according to Teo Armus of the Washington Post.
As candidates like Luria look to tap into mounting anger over the status quo in Washington, the ban is becoming a popular talking point on the campaign trail, Armus reports.
If Luria were to flip the seat she lost and stick to a stock ban, Pingree’s days of wine and roses could be over.
Though Pingree has claimed she supports a ban, you wouldn’t have known it last year when she got caught for failing to report a stock trade.
Among the congressional members whose stock trades triggered the bipartisan effort to put a halt to them is Pingree.
Pingree’s name is among dozens of stock-trading members of congress listed on UnusualWhales.com.
She sold between $15,000 and $50,000 of U.S. Treasury notes last year.
Financial records indicate 22 trades dating back five years, involving U.S. Treasury notes, stocks and municipal securities.
Ironically, Pingree was caught a year ago failing to report some of her trades, as reported then by The Maine Wire.
Pingree was nabbed secretly buying several U.S. Treasury Notes – three months after the deadline set by the “STOCK” law.
STOCK is the acronym for “Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge.”
At the same time she was calling for better enforcement of the STOCK Act requiring such reporting.
Pingree claimed her lack of reporting then was an oversight.
The law, enacted in 2012, aims to prohibit members of Congress from making use of information gained through their official position for their personal financial benefit.
The act requires all members of Congress to publicly disclose any financial transactions within 45 days.
The federal document showed Pingree made six purchases of treasury securities worth between $90,000 and $300,000, and didn’t disclose those purchases.
Pingree has insisted she has supported bills to ban and limit members of Congress from trading stocks in the past and will continue to do so.
Hahaha they should still fine her and all others who trade in stocks from congressional information so much so that they all still owe fines after being stripped from the funds they made.
Including Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton all of them past & present members of congress.
Chellie sets an example alright ….an example of how to be a complete asshole .