The White House issued a sharp response Thursday to Democratic criticism after Rep. Adam Schiff called for an insider trading investigation tied to recent tariff announcements made by President Donald Trump.
Schiff, a long-time political opponent of Trump, raised concerns this week about suspicious stock activity surrounding the administration’s rollout of sweeping new tariffs on Chinese goods. He suggested that certain individuals may have had advance knowledge of the announcement and used it for financial gain, prompting calls for a formal probe.
In a statement, the White House dismissed the allegations as “partisan theatrics,” accusing Democrats of using unfounded claims to distract from the economic objectives of the new trade measures. Officials said the administration followed all legal and procedural norms in developing the tariff strategy and denied that any non-public information was shared inappropriately.
White House Press Secretary Sarah LaRosa said the timing of Schiff’s remarks was clearly intended to “undermine the president’s economic agenda,” and warned that repeated accusations without evidence risk eroding public trust in legitimate policy decisions.
The tariffs in question—an aggressive hike on Chinese imports—were announced last week as part of the administration’s continued effort to rebalance U.S.-China trade relations. Financial markets responded with volatility, leading to heightened scrutiny of trading patterns before and after the announcement.
Schiff has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory bodies to examine whether any federal officials or associates improperly benefited from advance knowledge of the policy shift. So far, no formal investigation has been announced.
Analysts say the request is likely to deepen existing tensions between the legislative and executive branches, especially with tariff policy emerging as a major point of contention between Republicans and Democrats.
While the White House has shown no sign of backing down on the trade front, the controversy adds a political dimension to what has already become a high-stakes economic strategy—now under the shadow of scrutiny over ethics and transparency.