Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott was called out after he—a politician worth hundreds of millions of dollars—defended his position that members of Congress should be allowed to trade stocks despite clear conflict of interest concerns, saying it's okay because he doesn't "want to be poor."
Scott's remark came after his MAGA colleague, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, joined Democrats on Wednesday in advancing a bill Hawley proposed that would prohibit members of Congress from buying, selling, or holding individual stocks.
The legislation cleared the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in an 8–7 vote, with Hawley and all Democrats voting in favor and the remaining Republicans opposing it. It remains uncertain whether the bill will be brought to the floor in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Scott was unhappy about Hawley's alignment with Democrats on the matter and said he agrees lawmakers shouldn't be trading stocks but nonetheless characterized the measure as an attack on the wealthy:
"He made a reference to billionaires, okay? I don't know when in this country it became a negative to make money. But somehow, if you've made money, you're supposedly — I think Senator Hawley suggests — you shouldn't be serving, because you might trade stocks."
"I own operating businesses but somehow it's suspect because I made money. Anybody want to be poor? I don't."
"Right? So this idea that we're going to attack people because they make money is wrong. Is absolutely wrong. We should cherish all of our different backgrounds. Every one of us has a different background. I've got a business background but what I was just accused of is making money is somehow... I can't be fair and do things the right way."
"I think it's disgusting what's going on here but I completely agree with you: we've got to stop people from trading stocks, but this is way different. This is an attack against the president, attack against the vice president. That's what this is so I think it's wrong."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Many have criticized his remarks.
President Donald Trump later called Hawley a "second-tier Senator" in a post on Truth Social amid GOP pushback against the proposal.
Trump said Democrats "because of our tremendous ACHIEVEMENTS and SUCCESS, have been trying to 'Target' me for a long period of time, and they're using Josh Hawley, who I got elected TWICE, as a pawn to help them."
According to Hawley, Trump had been misled by senators who claimed the bill would force him to sell off all of his assets and properties, including Mar-a-Lago.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social