<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div class="lead-item">
<h1>How Members of Congress Get Rich Through 'Honest Graft'</h1><ul class="toolkit"><li>
<a name="&lpos=Toolbar&lid=Email" class="share-link addthis_button_email at300b" title="Email this" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php"><br></a></li></ul>
</div>
<div class="meta vcard">
<span class="autor fn"><a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/authors/dashiell-bennett/" title="Dashiell Bennett">Dashiell Bennett</a> </span>
<span class="pageviews">12,820 Views</span>
<span class="date updated">4:43 AM ET</span>
</div>
<div>
A <em>60 Minutes </em>report on Sunday examined the ways that <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388130n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox">members of Congress trade on inside, privileged information</a>
to make themselves rich — without breaking any laws. Even though many
positions in the federal government are bound by conflict of interest
laws, Congresspeople are exempt from insider trading rules and are
perfectly free to make business deals based on information they
learn through their jobs.</div>
<div>
The story is based on the work of Peter Schweizer, a researcher at the
Hoover Institution. (Others have been studying the issue. As Bloomberg's
Lizzie O'Leary and others have <a href="http://twitter.com/lizzieohreally/statuses/135882736832483328">pointed out</a>, <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703871904575216491495135642.html">has reported</a> on this issue <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904070604576514791591319306.html">quite recently</a> and Megan McArdle dedicated her column in <em>The Atlantic</em>'s November issue <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/capitol-gains/8692/">to the phenomenon of "congressional insider trading."</a>)
Schweizer and his team have looked at financial transactions made by
Representatives and Senators and found that many, including the past
three House Speakers, have <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57323527/congress-trading-stock-on-inside-information/?tag=contentMain;contentBody">made deals that appear to be based on non-public information</a>
that they had access to thanks to their position in Washington.
Schweizer calls it "honest graft," since many people would consider it
unethical, even though it's not illegal.</div>
<div>
Some times it's stock trades (John Boehner reportedly invested in
several health care stocks shortly before killing the public option in
last year's legislation) and other times it's simply making a well-timed
business deal. (Like when former Speaker Dennis Hastert secured an
earmark for a federal highway project that just happened to pass by some
land he already owned. He later sold the land for $2 million dollars.)
Nancy Pelosi has participated in eight IPOs, including some involving
companies that had business before her House. Schweizer says that giving
a Senator or Congressperson pre-IPO shares in a company is allowed
under current rules, even though giving them an equal amount in cash
would be considered a illegal bribe.</div>
<div>
A Pelosi spokesperson <font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000EE"><u>criticized</u></font><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/13/politics/60-minutes-pelosi/index.html?hpt=hp_c2"> the <em>60 Mintues</em> report</a>, though he did not actually deny the facts that were presented.</div>
<div>
The problem, of course, is that not only are these transactions
perfectly legal under existing law, the people who benefit the most are
the ones who write the laws. Naturally, most members of Congress don't
seem eager to take away these special benefits that can turn humble
public servants into multi-millionaires. </div>
<div>
Meanwhile, when Wall Street insiders make similar moves, they end up in jail. You can watch the entire <em>60 Minutes</em> report below:</div><div><br></div><div>http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/11/how-members-congress-get-rich-through-honest-graft/44928/<br></div><div><br></div></div></body></html>