Jon Stewart Commends Nancy Pelosi for Getting Away With ‘Legal Corruption’ | Video

While breaking down the drama going on with New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez’s corruption trial, “Daily Show” guest host Jon Stewart sarcastically commended Menendez’s fellow politicians — naming Nancy Pelosi — for doing such a great job of getting away with alleged fraud.

“As you know, the fascinating penis-themed trial of Professor Donald Bartholomew Trump continued today,” Stewart said. “What you might not know, is that it is not the only salacious high-level government official trial going on today, because right across the street, in New York’s famed public corruption district, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez … faced his first day of reckoning.”

As “CBS Mornings” reported in a clip shown in the “Daily Show” segment: “Federal prosecutors allege the former chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee conspired with his wife, Nadine, to accept bribes from a trio of wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors to help the governments of Qatar and Egypt.”

Per CNN: “The powerful senator allegedly pressured the department of agriculture to help an associate maintain a monopoly on the importation of halal meat to the United States.”

“Yes,” Stewart explained, “Sen. Menendez is accused of using his access and influence as a senator to illegally help a variety of shady governments and clients.”

To emphasize just how ridiculous he felt the politician’s actions were, the host introduced a segment called “How Dumb Is You?” During the section of the show, the host questioned the root behind Menendez’s alleged behavior. By Stewart’s estimation, the elected official didn’t “need to break the law so cartoonishly when the legal corruption in the Senate is so f–king lucrative.”

“Promising favors to foreign entities for a little chump change on the side, it’s bush league, when as a U.S. senator, you can enrich yourself in so many different, let’s call them, ‘legal’ ways. For instance, the stock market,” Stewart said, highlighting reports that the “average” U.S. Senator’s stock portfolio beats the stock market 12% of the time, compared to the average hedge fund beating it 7%.

“How do they do it? The secret is an understanding of the intricate interconnectivity of global markets — I’m kidding. They have inside information,” Stewart said.

He then pointed out that leaders in Congress are able to evade prosecution because no one but themselves is overseeing them.

“Now, you might be wondering to yourself, how does Congress get away with all this? Well, it may be because Congress is regulated by, let me check my notes, Congress!” Stewart exclaimed. “And it’s Congress that has refused to even hold a vote on the bills that have been proposed to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. Because not letting members of Congress insider trade would be un-American! Just listen to one of the biggest beneficiaries of this stock windfall.”

He then threw to a video of Nancy Pelosi answering a question about whether or not representatives and their spouses should be able to trade individual stocks during their term.

“No, I don’t. No to the second one. This is a free market, and people — we’re a free market economy. They should be able to participate in that,” Pelosi responded.

“Ah, free market. ‘Excuse me, Ms. Speaker, I don’t mean to interrupt. I’m Martha Stewart from the, ‘Why the F–k Did I Go to Jail Times-Picayune.’ Why the f–k did I go to jail?'” Stewart said, imitating the famed lifestyle guru who went to prison on charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

“But here’s the thing. In a free market, everyone has access to the same information. So unless you’re going to put all of us on the committees, I don’t get it,” Stewart said.

Pelosi has indeed faced backlash over the years for her involvement in stock market trading, and she’s consistently been a top performer and gained a whopping 65% return on her stocks portfolio in 2023. She, alongside Rep. Mark Green and Josh Gottheimer, ranked high in their returns. While their investments could merely be good business, their continued success has led to many wondering if they have a leg up in the competition with access to inside market details.

“It’s a sign of quasi-insider trading that’s corrupt and should be banned – it’s either an addiction to risk or a sign of corruption,” Jeff Hauser, founder and director of the Revolving Door Project told The New York Post.

As for Menendez, who has denied all allegations, he was hit with 18 criminal counts, including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent, according to the BBC. Menendez claims the charges are “baseless” and are racially motivated.

Watch the full “Daily Show” clip in the video above.

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