Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee, announced the opening of a Democratic staff investigation that would look into reports that insiders may have illicitly profited from non-public and potentially classified information connected to the Trump Administration’s recent military strike in Venezuela. The strike resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were brought to the United States to face federal criminal charges. Shortly after the operation, in his own remarks while speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump disclosed that he had held conversations with “all” the oil companies “before and after” the raid, raising serious concerns about whether sensitive government information was improperly shared and subsequently exploited for financial gain.

This incident follows a troubling yet familiar pattern of insiders appearing to profit ahead of market-moving Trump Administration decisions. Last year, suspicious trading activity was reported immediately before major tariff announcements, including trades by public officials with close ties to the Administration, prompting Ranking Member Waters and Committee Democrats to urge regulators to investigate potential insider trading and market manipulation—requests that remain unanswered. In response to the more recent events involving the Administration’s communications with oil companies surrounding Venezuela, this investigation will examine potential violations of insider-trading laws, anti-money-laundering requirements, sanctions compliance obligations, and whether regulatory and statutory loopholes are allowing financial misconduct to circumvent existing laws and flourish across prediction markets. This investigation will also consider the Trump family’s and Trump Administration’s ties to the prediction markets, including Donald Trump Jr.’s personal investments in and advisory roles for the prediction-market platforms at the center of the questionable trades.

“Congress has a duty to protect the integrity of our financial markets and the security of our nation. The idea that insiders may have used advance knowledge of the President’s unilateral U.S. military action in Venezuela to place lucrative bets is deeply alarming. This is not just unethical, but it may be illegal, and it reflects a pattern by this Administration and its friends in industry that exposes dangerous weaknesses in our financial and regulatory systems. Time and again, we have seen Trump Administration actions followed by suspicious trading activity on industry exchanges and prediction-market platforms tied to tariffs, foreign policy, and national security decisions.

In fact, in a recent interview with the New York Times, when asked about how his family has profited during the first year of his presidency, Trump shamelessly responded, “I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.” This is not just wrong—it is also a disturbing admission that he sees the presidency as a license to profit, free from accountability or ethical restraint. This should alarm every American and every member of Congress, and demands immediate action. If government officials, corporate executives, politically-connected insiders, or others privy to inside information are exploiting confidential or classified information to enrich themselves, that is an abuse of power, a harm to financial markets, and a national security threat that demands accountability.

That is why I am launching an investigation, because the American people deserve markets that are fair, transparent, secure, and governed by the rule of law, not rigged for those with inside access.”

Background:

• On April 10, 2025, Ranking Member Maxine Waters led 18 Committee Democrats in sending a letter to both the Chair and the Inspector General of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) along with the Comptroller General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) demanding an immediate investigation into whether President Trump, officials in his Administration, or any related associates engaged in insider trading or market manipulation leading up to the President’s suspension of tariffs on April 9, 2025.
  
  

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