Republican Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is burnishing his bipartisan credentials by receiving increased financial support from top Democratic donors, while the 2012 Democratic National Platform is taking credit for his signature piece of legislation.
A watchdog group is taking lawmakers and their underlings to task for insider trading. Cause of Action, a nonpartisan transparency group, is demanding an investigation into allegations that congressional staffers have used legislative information to make lucrative stock investments.
New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been an outspoken supporter of banning insider trading in Congress, but she and her husband profited by betting against the housing and real estate market during the 2008 financial crisis.
The Senate voted Monday night to move forward a bill banning insider trading by members of Congress. The procedural vote to advance the bill with bipartisan unanimity — almost. Two lone senators, Republicans Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Richard Burr of North Carolina, voted against the STOCK Act.
