Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) was enraged after Fox News host Jesse Watters acused him of insider trading, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday — and he didn't hold back over it.
According to the report, the trouble started when Watters, who used to have a cordial relationship with Crenshaw and even appeared on his podcast to hawk his book in 2021, listed several lawmakers he alleged were making stock picks based on a report by the market analysis group Unusual Whales, released Tuesday.
That included Crenshaw who, the report said, beat the market by 13 points.
Congressional stock trades have become a fraught topic in recent years as numerous lawmakers in both parties have been accused of suspiciously timed buys and sells; one recent report detailed how Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) quietly sold off $50,000 in Boeing stock ahead of a committee he sat on issuing a report on the 737 MAX crashes.
“A lot of them investing in companies they had inside information on,” said Watters. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is what corruption looks like. And that is why Congress still hasn’t passed a ban on insider stock trade.”
In response, Crenshaw posted on Instagram, “Hey you f--king hack, if you’re gonna accuse of me of literal corruption, get your facts straight and man up and accuse me to my face. You’re a f--king clown, desperate for clickbait.”
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In another post, he said, “I’m sitting here trying to feed my 3 month old and this dirt bag millionaire at Fox is accusing me of being a criminal, with zero evidence. Stop watching these mediocre entertainers. Stop letting wealthy elitists like Jessye (sic) Watters claim to be ‘fighting for you.’ They live in Manhattan and can’t stand normal people in red states. They think you’re stupid and feed you bulls--t to rile you up.”
Crenshaw later added, “Yeah, he’s such a ‘conservative’ he cheated on his wife and then left her with twins while he went off with another Fox producer,” and “Jesse Watters seems like the type of dude who pees sitting down.”
The Texas congressman shortly later revealed that Fox canceled a planned interview block with him because of his outbursts against Watters.
Crenshaw is not the only lawmaker Watters ruffled with his stock trading segments. He also grilled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) about her appearance in the market analysis study showing she had reaped profits from the stock market, to which she responded by claiming the assets were actually traded by one of her sons.
