Why is insider trading by politicians not being sanctioned?

Policing insider trading is incredibly difficult and inefficient.

It's much more effective and fair to just require a blind trust or index funds.

Anyone who makes laws in this country at the federal level should not own direct shares of publicly traded companies.

That's just conflict of interest 101.

 

www.wsj.com /articles/house-republicans-plan-to-make-changes-to-ethics-office-11672708247
House Republicans Plan to Make Changes to Ethics Office

GOP-controlled chamber set to vote on new rules package as members return to work


WASHINGTON—House Republicans plan to change the rules of the ethics office charged with investigating lawmakers when the new session of Congress begins on Tuesday.

The House-rules package that incoming GOP leadership negotiated with members would impose changes on the Office of Congressional Ethics, or OCE, regarding its board and hiring new staff, potentially limiting the office’s ability to investigate lawmakers. The new rules would also allow the House Ethics Committee to take complaints directly from the public.

Representatives for both the Republican and Democratic leaders on the Ethics Committee didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the rules changes.

The OCE is a nonpartisan, independent body charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against House lawmakers and staff. After it looks into complaints, it then dismisses them or refers them to the House Ethics Committee. While lawmakers from both parties have at times complained that the OCE has too much power, advocates see the office as integral for reviews of complaints about misconduct and criticized the proposed changes.

“These are measures that will render the ethics office ineffectual and which no member, from either party, should support,” said Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization.

The rules package released by House Republicans and set for a full House vote on Tuesday would place term limits on the eight-person OCE board, an action that would remove three of four Democratic board members. The new rules would also limit OCE from hiring any staff after 30 calendar days from when the rules package is approved, meaning the office couldn’t hire new people after a month from Tuesday. Any new hires after the rules are passed would require approval of four board members.

The proposed changes come as Republican lawmakers have faced scrutiny over any involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, and incoming Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.) faces questions about his background, after he admitted fabricating parts of his personal and work history. Last month, the House Ethics Committee disclosed it is investigating a complaint regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), referred by OCE, though it provided no details about the case.

The House Ethics Committee, which is composed of members of Congress, is traditionally slow and hesitant to punish fellow lawmakers. When OCE refers a complaint to the House for further investigation, the investigation can become public, shining a light on allegations and misdeeds.

The OCE was established in 2008 to address corruption in Congress. It reviews allegations and outside ethics complaints in what is intended to be a timely manner, and has since referred 52 Democrats and 50 Republicans to the House Ethics Committee for further review.

For ethics advocates, the move is a flashback to when House Republicans last attempted to curb OCE in January 2017, at the beginning of that new session of Congress. After fierce backlash, including from then-incoming President Donald Trump, they scrapped a plan to place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee. ​

 

Yeah Ro Khanna continues the trend of Bay Area sleeze with progressive lipstick,