One of Missouri’s United States Senators just returned from the funeral of Pope Francis, the other is refocusing his attention on a long-standing gripe.
Sen. Eric Schmitt talked about the relationship between the Trump White House and the Vatican, and Sen. Josh Hawley spoke about insider trading.
Schmitt commented on the event, saying, “I think the world kinda came together in that moment. I was glad to see President Trump was there with the First Lady.”
The presence of Trump at the Vatican highlighted the complex relationship between his administration and the Vatican, particularly on issues like immigration.
Pope Francis had previously criticized Trump’s policies, stating, “Christians do not build walls.”
However, Schmitt dismissed the notion of a strained relationship.
Schmitt also addressed criticism of Trump’s demeanor at the papal succession, stating, “People get too easily offended.”
He noted he was unaware of a private meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but remarked, “It doesn’t surprise me at all that the two had a conversation, given what’s going on in the world right now.”
Meanwhile, Senator Josh Hawley has been vocal about insider trading concerns within Congress.
He highlighted past controversies involving former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband and questioned the ethics of stock trading by lawmakers.
“Either she and her husband are absolute geniuses, or maybe, just maybe, members of Congress are privy to information to turns out to be pretty darn helpful in making a buck on the stock market,” Hawley said.
“My view is no member of Congress should be doing that, Nancy Pelosi or anybody else.”
Hawley also addressed the issue of insider trading about the executive branch, following a recent stock market surge after a White House announcement on a tariff pause.
“I think we ought to ban it across the board, executive branch, legislative branch, and judicial branch,” he said.
When asked if insider trading occurred following the tariff announcement, Hawley responded, “Oh, I doubt it. I mean, who knows.”
Democrats have called for a congressional investigation into the White House’s handling of the tariff pause announcement, but with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, such an investigation is unlikely to proceed.