Money unites: Republicans and Democrats find rare bipartisanship over trading stocks

Public interest groups say existing bans on insider trading aren’t enough to deter politicians from using congressional info to their advantage. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Nancy Pelosi probably did not expect to set off such a firestorm with her use of three words: free market economy.

When the House speaker was asked in December whether she supports proposals to ban members and their spouses from trading individual stocks, she said no. “We’re a free market economy,” Pelosi said. “They should be able to participate in that.”