... insider trading? ...

BREAKING: Democratic senators Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego reveal a disturbing theory about Donald Trump's temporary tariff pause — and demand that the Office of Government Ethics open an immediate investigation. Where there's smoke there's fire and this is bad... "We write to request an urgent inquiry into whether President Trump, his family, or other members of the administration engaged in insider trading or other illegal financial transactions, informed by advanced knowledge of non-public information regarding his changes to tariff policy, yesterday or at any time during this administration," Schiff and Gallego wrote in a letter addressed to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and Jamieson Greer, Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The senators are understandably concerned about the profound conflict interest that would have been at play if White House officials knew in advance about the 90-day tariff pause and used that knowledge to enrich themselves. Since the tariffs were choking the global economy and pushing America towards a recession — and still are, just to a lesser degree — any foreknowledge of the pause would have been profoundly useful for investing. The moment Trump made the announcement, the stock market spiked. Theoretically, billions could have been made. "President Trump's decision to ease most tariffs predictably caused the financial markets to skyrocket after crashing and undergoing wild fluctuations since the President's April 2, 2025, Executive Order announcing global tariffs," the senators continued. "Since his inauguration, President Trump has repeatedly invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to unilaterally impose substantial new tariffs on imports from nearly every country in the world," they wrote. "Unlike various other trade authorities vested in the executive, tariffs levied under IEEPA are not subject to investigation or affirmative determination from Executive Branch Agencies," they continued. They went on to state that the "market reactions were immediate and swift" to Trump's initial implementation of the tariffs, with the S&P 500 losing "$5.83 trillion in market value." "This represents the steepest four days of losses since the index was created," they observed. When he announced the 90-day pause, they go on, he caused "stocks to soar," resulting in the market's largest gain since 2008. By selling at the peak and buying at the bottom of the dip, Trump cronies may have greatly expanded their wealth. "This sequence of events raises grave legal and ethics concerns. The President, his family, and his advisors are uniquely positioned to be privy to and take advantage of non-public information to inform their investment decisions," the senators wrote. "For instance, stock in Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, increased 18 percent immediately following the President's announcement to pause most tariffs, which Mr. Musk had publicly opposed," they continued, noting that Schiff had previously requested documentation on Musk's compliance or lack thereof with conflict of interests, ethics, and reporting requirements. He was ignored. Schiff and Gallego went on to ask the Office of Government Ethics to investigate any suspicious financial transactions, stock trades, and incriminating communications involving White House or Executive Branch employees as well as Trump's family members. Given the flagrantly criminal nature of this administration, it's safe to presume that Trump will refuse to cooperate. Even so, this is a crucial step towards uncovering the truth and it helps inform the American public about what's really going on behind the scenes of this administration. Please like and share!