Well, well, well—look who’s suddenly interested in government ethics. California Senator Adam Schiff, the same guy who spent the better part of a decade auditioning for CNN with his dramatic Trump monologues, has now decided that the real problem in Washington is… a few missing financial disclosure reports from White House officials.
That’s rich.
In a letter to White House Counsel David Warrington and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Schiff expressed “continued and growing concern” over the supposed delay in filing “new entrant” financial disclosures. He demanded a full list of who’s supposed to file, explanations for why they haven’t, and whether any late fees have been issued. Because nothing screams government accountability like a Democrat asking about overdue paperwork.
Naturally, the White House didn’t take too kindly to being lectured by Schiff—especially after they pointed out that all officials who are actually required to file public reports are doing so. A White House spokeswoman reminded everyone that this same transparency rule applied under Trump’s administration, and guess what? They followed it too.
Still, Schiff forged ahead with a statement on “robust, enforceable transparency standards” and accused this administration of “repeatedly failing to disclose assets and business entanglements.” Which would be downright noble—if it didn’t sound like a magician yelling, “Look over there!” while quietly stuffing cards up his sleeve.
Because here’s the part Schiff conveniently skipped: if he’s truly worried about ethics and transparency, maybe he should start by walking down the hall and knocking on Nancy Pelosi’s door.
You know Nancy—the California congresswoman with the impeccable timing when it comes to stock trades. Somehow, her husband Paul always seems to buy and sell at exactly the right moment. Pure coincidence, right?
Pelosi, whose net worth is estimated north of $120 million, has been dogged by insider trading accusations for years. But every time reporters bring it up, she suddenly has no comment or “no prior knowledge.” Her spokesman claims she doesn’t own any stocks. Just her husband. Who presumably trades based on a lucky rabbit’s foot and not the inside scoop from Capitol Hill.
When a Fox News reporter asked Pelosi about the allegations last month, she offered nothing. Probably too busy checking her investment app. Thankfully, some Republicans are doing what Schiff refuses to: call this what it is.
Senator Josh Hawley introduced the PELOSI Act (yes, that’s actually what it’s called), which aims to ban elected leaders from owning or trading individual stocks. Congressman Mark Alford filed a House version, slamming “suspicious trades” and warning that politicians are enriching themselves with information the rest of us never see.
Imagine that—lawmakers using non-public knowledge to make themselves millionaires. Who could’ve guessed?
Hawley said it best: “Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve—not day trading at the expense of their constituents.” But Schiff doesn’t want to touch that with a ten-foot pole. He’d rather point fingers at everyone else while his political soulmate rakes in another windfall.
When asked if she supported banning congressional stock trading, Pelosi gave a dismissive “if they do, they do,” followed by a half-hearted “sure.” That’s politician-speak for “I’ll support it once my broker finishes moving everything to a blind trust.”
So let’s be clear: Schiff’s little ethics crusade isn’t about transparency. It’s about deflection. It’s about pretending to be the watchdog while ignoring the golden retriever chewing on the Constitution in the corner. If Schiff wants to clean up Washington, he should start with the people closest to him. Like the one who’s apparently trading stocks with a crystal ball and a congressional calendar.