A Florida lawmaker is calling out what she describes as a double standard in federal justice after a U.S. special forces soldier was arrested for allegedly profiting from the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) appeared on Fox News Friday to address the charges against Gannon Ken Van Dyke. Federal prosecutors claim Van Dyke used nonpublic information regarding the planning of the January mission to place bets on the prediction market Polymarket.
According to the Department of Justice, Van Dyke turned a $33,000 wager into a payout exceeding $400,000.
While Van Dyke now faces a potential sentence of several decades in prison, Luna told host Laura Ingraham that the severity of the punishment doesn’t sit right when compared to the conduct of lawmakers in Washington.
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“We have someone in the military who successfully helped plan one of, I would say, the most daring successful missions in U.S. history, and because he placed a bet — in reading the write-up by the Department of Justice, Laura, I did not see that he leaked classified information,” Luna said.
The congresswoman clarified that she does not condone Van Dyke’s actions, but argued the legal system is ignoring “insider trading” happening within the halls of Congress.
Luna noted that she had attempted to push bipartisan legislation to curb stock trading by members of the House, but claimed the effort was blocked by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
“I do think that Congress as a whole, we have insider trading happening every single day,” Luna said during the segment. “We have to have legislation to stop it. It’s not right. It’s working against the interest of the American people, and it is corruption. But again, this individual, is it fair for him to be facing decades?”
When Ingraham interjected with a “No,” Luna pointed to high-profile colleagues as a point of comparison.
“While Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) walks free? No, it’s not,” Luna added.
The Department of Justice has not yet commented on Luna’s remarks. Van Dyke remains in federal custody following his arrest earlier this week.
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