White House warned staffers against insider trading amid Iran war

The White House in March warned staffers against insider amid the ongoing war in Iran, sending an email to staffers reminding of appropriate ethical conduct.

The email came amid a string of Polymarket bets related to the Iran war and a number of oil trades that seemed favorably timed relative statements and actions from the White House, The Hill reported. A White House spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that it had sent an email to staff.

Insider trading occurs when someone with non-public information makes an investment or sale based on that information. Members of Congress and myriad politicians have long faced scrutiny over the practice due to the over performance of many of their stock portfolios relative to the rest of the market.

“All federal employees are subject to government ethics guidelines that prohibit the use of nonpublic information for financial benefit,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Hill. “However, any implication that Administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting.”

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.