Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared to indirectly call out Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) when talking about Congressional stock trading during a press conference this week.
“It’s really odd. You'll have people get elected to Congress having never shown any investment acumen ever in their life, and then all of a sudden they become Warren Buffett on steroids," DeSantis said.
Trades made by Rep. Donalds have come into question during his time on Capitol Hill, according to Quiver Quanititaive. A full list of those trades can be found here.
"They're putting some of the biggest hedge funds in America to shame with these stock trades that have these real suspicious timing because, you know, look, if you buy a stock and it goes up 400% like in like a month, that's like a once-in-a-lifetime investment and yet these guys seem to be doing this quite frequently, and they're and they have access to certain information, I believe, that is helping fuel that," DeSantis added.
Was that a shot at Rep. Donalds? You make the call.
While Gov. DeSantis didn't call him out by name, the governor did invoke former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her alleged stock trading activities. Speaker Pelosi, a California representative, has been in Congress for nearly 40 years.
According to a report, Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, handles the family's stock trading activities. Notably, members of Congress are required to disclose their stock trades under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012.
"If you look at Nancy Pelosi's portfolio, you know, she has absolutely shattered a lot of these investment records," DeSantis said. But it's not just that. There's a whole bunch, and it's on both sides of the aisle."
If you are reading between the political lines, the timing of the governor's supposed jab at Donalds is interesting. With the gubernatorial election coming this November, is DeSantis trying to blow some smoke into Donalds' bid for his seat?
And just as Donalds gave DeSantis his props.
Keep in mind, DeSantis has yet to endorse Donalds in the race. It is worth noting that Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who was in attendance at the press conference and is a DeSantis ally, has long been rumored to be entering the fray, but hasn't jumped in.
While there's still a long way to go to determine his successor, the governor might be holding out for an alternative. Who that is remains to be seen.
