As President Donald Trump prepared to unveil a sweeping tariff regime on April 2, over a dozen senior U.S. government officials and congressional aides quietly sold significant stock holdings — raising fresh scrutiny over whether they leveraged inside information.
A ProPublica review of government disclosures found that a State Department official and a top trade-policy architect each offloaded tens of thousands of dollars worth of shares just days before the announcement targeting major U.S. trading partners. A White House lawyer also liquidated stakes in nine firms ahead of another key trade move.
These timely trades coincided with major policy shifts that rattled global markets. After Trump’s tariff revelations, the S&P 500 dipped by over 1.5%, and investors scrambled for safer assets such as bonds and treasuries.
Legal experts and ethics watchdogs say transactions executed right before high-impact announcements undermine public trust and could violate insider trading rules. "Even the appearance of trading on nonpublic information damages confidence in our institutions," says Emily Carter, a government ethics lawyer.
The revelations have prompted bipartisan calls for tighter disclosure requirements and tougher penalties for officials who trade on privileged information. As markets brace for continued tariff tensions with major trading partners, transparency in government finance dealings remains under the microscope.
Reference(s):
Media: Some U.S. officials sold stocks before Trump announced tariffs
cgtn.com
