It’s the political playbook we’ve all seen before: accuse first, prove never.
This time, it’s Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut dusting off the old strategy, floating the suggestion—without evidence—that President Trump may have committed insider trading following market fluctuations tied to his administration’s tariff announcement. The catch? He openly admits he has no proof. None.
“I’m not alleging there has been market manipulation or insider trading, just the opportunity and indications of it,” Blumenthal told reporters.
But if you’re not alleging it, Senator, why are you on camera saying it?
According to Blumenthal, “strong indications” such as “volatility” and “trading patterns” are enough to justify a full-blown investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission—a federal agency he simultaneously declares untrustworthy because it operates under the Trump administration.
Let’s break this down. The stock market jumped after President Trump’s announcement of a 90-day tariff pause and a simultaneous increase in tariffs on Chinese exports. Investors reacted to real policy shifts that Trump telegraphed repeatedly for two decades. He’s been clear since before his first presidency: fair trade, not free trade, and tariffs are part of the deal.
To claim this is suspicious is to claim that Wall Street being surprised by predictable policy is a crime. It’s not. It’s just bad analysis.
And yet, Blumenthal wants the SEC to investigate what amounts to a well-known campaign promise. Worse, he says if Republicans don’t cooperate, they’re “complicit in illegal market manipulation or insider trading.”
That’s not legislative oversight. That’s extortion by insinuation.
This is all political theater—just the latest in a growing trend of weaponizing legal terminology for headlines. We saw it with Russia. We saw it with impeachment. We saw it with the “documents” saga. Now it’s insider trading. And next week? Who knows. The only requirement is that it be vague, ominous, and never provable.
Even Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ruben Gallego joined the act, sending letters to top White House officials—again, without offering evidence, just “concerns.”
Let’s be clear: no one has identified a trade, a name, a transaction, or a timeline. No whistleblower. No subpoena. Just “indications.”
Because that’s how this game is played. Float the accusation, let the media amplify it, and when no evidence surfaces, quietly walk away—after the damage is done.
It’s politics by rumor. And it’s exactly why Americans trust Congress less than ever.
Blumenthal didn’t drop a bombshell. He launched a trial balloon of innuendo, and hoped no one would notice it had no payload.
