A left-wing Democrat who challenged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the June 7 California House primary on Monday blasted the longtime lawmaker as a “corrupt oligarch” who only measured Pelosi’s husband the couple’s $5 million. Wally completes only after being busted for drunk driving near Vineyard. ,
Shahid Buttar, who is running to oust an 18-term Democrat from California’s 12th district, told The Post in an interview, “More people are coming to recognize the incumbent’s corruption, which is why I ran. “
“You know, I am not a politician. I am an accountability agent,” said the civil liberties attorney.
Buter, one of three Democrats to run against Pelosi in the primary, spoke out less than 48 hours after 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was charged with one count of driving under the influence and a second charge of driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 or more. Of. Higher after crashing his 2021 Porsche, according to police documents.
Buter alleged, “As important as it is to prosecute drunk driving, the Pelosi family’s continued history of insider trading – and Nancy’s refusal to argue with any challengers since 1987 – is even more reprehensible.”
Nancy and Paul Pelosi’s stock trades have come under significant scrutiny over the past year.
In December, Speaker revealed that the couple had raised millions in bullish call options for stocks including Google, Salesforce, Micron Technology and Roblox. At the same time, insiders told The Post, he slammed efforts to rein in Big Tech. That month, Pelosi defended lawmakers’ right to get rich from the market, telling reporters, “We are a free market economy. They should be able to participate in it.”
Then in March, Paul Pelosi bought $2.2 million in Tesla stock, even as some in Congress proposed a ban on stock trading to lawmakers and their spouses.
Critics on both sides of the aisle believe Pelosi’s current conflict of interest is business, given that she and other lawmakers have access to sensitive information and are responsible for enforcing laws regulating businesses. Huh.
Pelosi is estimated to be worth north of $100 million, and Paul Pelosi owns millions in stocks and options. The chairman himself does not own the stock.
However, Buttar says that his immense wealth sets him apart from the struggles of average San Francisco in his district.
“She is no one to represent the constituents there. He is there to fill his pocket, and his record proves that he has spent most of his time doing that,” Buttar said. “I hope that San Francisco can set its voice free in Washington, and remove the corrupt oligarchy that has been corrupting the voice of our city for a generation.”
Butter acknowledges San Francisco’s issue of rampant homelessness and seeks to establish a right to housing to combat it. He denounced “corporate Democrats” like Pelosi, who prioritize “housing as a commodity” and have created a city with more vacant units than those in need of shelter.
Still, Buttar faces a tough competition. He had earlier run for Congress in 2018 and 2020. Two years earlier, he advanced from the primary to face Pelosi in the general election and received only 81,000 votes compared to Pelosi’s 281,000.
Buttar, who is Muslim, believes his campaign was disrupted by a “racist smear campaign” after a Medium article accused him of sexual harassment. After running two articles about the claims, he vehemently denied the allegations and sued the San Francisco Chronicle for defamation. The case is still pending.
The left-wing candidate said he was not getting much help from progressive stalwarts like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who says he is prepared to criticize the Democratic Party’s leadership, but support progressive challengers for leadership. Not brave enough to do it.
“Pelosi’s personal corruption has enabled institutional corruption. San Francisco’s institutional corruption plays a key role in federal corruption,” he said. “I think a lot of people are worried about that.”
Pelosi’s office did not return a request for comment.
