Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

A Trading Ban for U.S. Lawmakers That Makes Sense

Senator Jon Ossoff’s proposal to bar federal legislators and their family members from buying individual stocks deserves bipartisan support.

January 10, 2022 at 6:30 AM EST

By Timothy L. O'Brien

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

Senator Jon Ossoff uses a blind trust. His colleagues should emulate him.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

LEARN MORE

Thanks to ethics legislation that Senator Jon Ossoff is considering, Congress will have to focus more purposefully on one of Washington’s most persistent and egregious financial conflicts: stock trading.

The Georgia Democrat will seek to ban trading in individual stocks by federal legislators and family members; he is reportedly looking for a Republican co-sponsor before he introduces his bill.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

LEARN MORE