Mike Johnson

People Are Losing Their Minds Over This Resurfaced Video Of Mike Johnson Defending Congressional Trading

“Is this a Saturday Night Live skit?“

For years, there's been growing frustration from voters on both the right and the left over members of Congress being allowed to buy and sell individual stocks while shaping the laws and policies that can affect those companies. Or that they may buy or sell stock based on early information they receive. Critics argue that even when no laws are technically broken, the practice creates the appearance that elected officials can profit from insider access and public office.

But criticism of congressional trading isn't limited to one party, as lawmakers and voters across the political spectrum have pointed to examples involving both Democrats and Republicans, leading to calls for stricter ethics rules or outright bans on it. While progressive figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have repeatedly spoken out against the practice, arguing that there should be a ban. However, most of Congress skirts around the issue, which has stalled any real progress in stopping or regulating congressional trading.

Well, a year-old video of Speaker Mike Johnson has gone viral on X, where he seemingly defended congressional stock trading by saying that the salary of members of Congress has not kept up with inflation, and that we need to "at least let them engage in some stock trading so they can continue to take care of their family":

@MatrixMysteries / Via Twitter: @MatrixMysteries

Now, in all fairness, in a longer cut of the video, Johnson does start by saying he is in favor of a ban, before backtracking by saying that, on the other hand, he has "sympathy," and in order to encourage better-qualified people to run for Congress they need stock trading to offset the costs of being in office. So...yeah...

Needless to say, the year-old video has aged especially poorly as the prices of gas, food, and just about everything else continue to rise, while politicians profit from their positions. Here are just some of the things people had to say about it:

Okay, as always, let me know what you think in the comments below!