Florida Politics: ‘Root it out’: Anna Paulina Luna makes pitch for insider trading ban in speech to RNC

'Corruption has no party; it is a threat to us all.'

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna revved up the Republican National Convention with a call for an insider trading ban in Congress.

“The American people elected a Republican Congress to fix Washington, not to profit off it or to tolerate its corruption,” Luna said. “It’s time we deliver this win for the American people.”

The Pinellas Republican was among the early speakers at the first-ever Midterm RNC. She is currently running for election to a third term in the battleground Florida’s 13th Congressional District.

She is among the chief sponsors of a trading ban introduced in Congress this year. She also specifically touted a different bill, the Restore Trust in Congress Act, where she has been spearheading a discharge petition in hopes of forcing a House vote on the floor.

“This bill bans members of Congress from using non-public information to enrich themselves by trading in the stock market,” she said. “Members of Congress should not use the sensitive information we receive on a daily basis working for the American people for private gain.” During her speech, she suggested it was chiefly Democrats in Congress standing in the way of restrictions on individual stock trades by members, and she attacked one target always popular with the Republican base: former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“The American people deserve to know that those they elect to public office actually serve the American people and not their own wallets. Nancy Pelosi and many others increased their net worth exponentially since taking office by abusing access to non-public information.”

She also noted a majority of House Democrats voted against any proposed trading ban in Congress, even as she works to build bipartisan support.

“This is unacceptable because the alternative is corruption. Not just bad governance, but the slow death of a public spirit that has animated this nation for over 250 years,” Luna said. “Cynicism kills that spirit, and when that spirit dies, the republic dies with it.”

With a national audience, she wrapped with a bipartisan pitch on a ban. “Ultimately, corruption has no party; it is a threat to us all,” Luna said. “Every American, but especially every elected official, has the duty to resist it and root it out.” To view the full article from Florida Politics, click here.