Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s wealth that was developed in his plumbing and other business interests prior to his entry to Congress sparked an exchange of critical comments between him and Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz took a shot at Mullin’s money and how he earned it by citing the Senator’s increased wealth as a reason to ban members of the House and Senate from trading stocks.
That prompted a terse reply from the Senator who accused Gaetz of “living off” his “daddy’s money,” reported The Hill.
“I hear @RepMattGaetz has criticism of hard-earned success — he should try building a business that gains value, it’s more gratifying than living off your daddy’s money,” Mullin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Gaetz had reposted a graphic showing how Mullin’s net worth soared from $12 million in 2018 when he was a member of the House, to $63 million last year. Mullin’s salary in Congress was $174,000 a year. Gaetz used the large gain in wealth for Mullin to call for a ban on trading stocks and defended his criticism.
“The only thing I criticized were your stock trades while a member of Congress. I want to ban those trades. You cashed in and made millions,” Gaetz stated on X.
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