Mike Johnson's insider trading remarks have already come back to humiliate him - Queerty

"In a recent speech, Johnson battled accusations of insider trading by claiming that Congress members might need to partake in the shady practice just to keep food on the table-despite making six-figure salaries. Explaining that the salaries of Congress members have been frozen since 2009, Johnson cried a river over poor, unfortunate government employees who must "sacrifice" a larger paycheck in order to serve their country-while raking in $174,000 a year."

"According to the Speaker, this "low" salary leaves them no choice but to engage in insider trading. Which is not only nonsensical, it's a slap in the face to the 50% of Americans struggling to foot the weekly grocery bill, not to mention the 14 million children struggling with food insecurity."

"We're well aware that Tr*mp and his sons have been using the Iran war to line their pockets, but Johnson seems to have said the quiet part out loud by implying that government workers can't be expected to abstain from illegal trading practices in this economy.... which the president created. That same president, by the way, made nearly 4,000 stock trades in the first quarter of this year alone according to a new report from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics."

"These trades, mostly in tech stock, netted Tr*mp between $220 and $750 million."

The Speaker of the House faces increasing difficulty staying in office amid concerns about missing Congressman Thomas Kean Jr. and minority leader Hakeem Jeffries seeking Johnson’s seat. Johnson made statements about fellow members that drew criticism, including claims that insider trading may be necessary to keep food on the table despite six-figure salaries. He argued that Congress salaries have been frozen since 2009 and portrayed a $174,000 annual income as too low, suggesting government employees must “sacrifice” and therefore engage in illegal trading. The claims were criticized as nonsensical and insensitive to Americans struggling with grocery bills and children facing food insecurity. The piece also notes that the president made nearly 4,000 stock trades in the first quarter, earning $220 to $750 million, according to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

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