Stephanie Ruhle Calls Out Pelosi for Blocking Congressional Stock Trading Ban: ‘You Can’t Blame Republicans on This One’

MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle questioned why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not brought a bill banning congressional stock trading to a vote during a Monday exchange with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who was equally perplexed at the stagnant state of the bill.

“It’s legal to be sleazy, especially in this case for members of Congress,” Ruhle said on The 11th Hour during her discussion with Spanberger. “You wrote this legislation in 2020. Nancy Pelosi has had months and months and months to bring this thing to the floor.”

Ruhle noted that a congressional recess is coming up on September 30, leaving only a couple weeks for a vote on the bill.

“Is there any change Speaker Pelosi brings this to a vote?” she asked, quickly adding before Spanberger could respond, “you can’t blame Republicans on this one.”

The legislation, Spanberger told Ruhle, is “straight forward” and has more than 60 co-sponsors, including both Republicans and Democrats.

“If the Speaker wanted to bring it for a vote this week or this month, she certainly could,” the Democratic congresswoman said.

Pelosi has faced criticism over the large stock investments made by her husband, Paul Pelosi. Spanberger said a trading ban would signify “change” to the public and send a clear message that representatives are making voters their top priority.

“When I’m in a briefing about the fact that Russia may invade Ukraine, when I’m in a briefing about some pandemic from the other side of the world, I’m thinking about you, I’m thinking about what this means for my job as your representative and not anywhere in my mind am I considering the call I might make to a stock broker,” she said. “It’s very straight forward.”

Pelosi said last year that members of Congress should be able to trade in stock and participate in the “free market.”

Watch above via MSNBC