Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) engaged in a heated verbal exchange with Fox News host Jesse Watters, following accusations of insider trading aired on Wednesday. The once amicable relationship between the two figures reached a boiling point as the controversy unfolded, shedding light on the contentious issue of congressional stock trades.
Watters, previously featured on Crenshaw’s podcast in 2021, took aim at several lawmakers, including Crenshaw, suggesting they made stock picks based on a report by the market analysis group Unusual Whales. The report alleged that Crenshaw had remarkably outperformed the market by 13 points, intensifying the ongoing debate surrounding suspicions of timely buys and sells among lawmakers.
During a segment on Fox News, Watters criticized the accused lawmakers, declaring, “A lot of them investing in companies they had inside information on. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what corruption looks like. And that is why Congress still hasn’t passed a ban on insider stock trade.”
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Incensed by the accusations, Crenshaw took to Instagram to vent his frustration. In a fiery post, he directly addressed Watters, labeling him a “f–king hack” and challenging him to present evidence of the alleged corruption face-to-face. The Texas congressman accused Watters of being a “clown” desperate for clickbait, criticizing him for baseless accusations while caring for his three-month-old child.
The confrontation escalated further as Crenshaw accused Watters of being out of touch with everyday Americans, claiming that wealthy elitists like him view residents of red states as “stupid” and manipulate them with misinformation. The rhetoric intensified when Crenshaw questioned Watters’s conservative credentials, alleging personal misconduct and making derogatory remarks about his character.
The dispute reached its peak when Crenshaw disclosed that Fox News had canceled a planned interview block with him due to his outspoken criticism of Watters. This unexpected fallout underscored the severity of the tensions between the two, raising questions about the future dynamics between the congressman and the conservative news network.
Watters’s controversial stock trading segments did not spare other lawmakers either. In a separate incident, he questioned Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) about her appearance in the market analysis study, alleging she had profited from the stock market. Greene responded by asserting that the trades in question were executed by one of her sons, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing scrutiny of congressional stock activities.
