Republicans have called for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) to step down from his position as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The calls follow allegations that Wyden’s wife owns up to $3 million in stock amongst four large tech companies.

According to Washington Examiner, the companies include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

“As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, you are charged with investigating and regulating Big Tech’s market abuses,” a group of national Republicans, led by New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax, wrote in a letter.

“We are alarmed by reports of your wife’s exceptionally large stock holdings, totaling $3 million, in four of the Big Five technology companies that you are tasked with overseeing – Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. This clear conflict of interest is dangerous to the American people, and we demand that you immediately step down from the chairmanship of the Finance Committee,” the letter continued.

“Mrs. Wyden’s holdings in these companies is an astonishing amount: it’s almost 60 times the value of stock that the median American stock-owning household owns in all companies combined,” it added.

Just the News reports:

Wyden’s latest financial disclosure covers 2022, and it shows that his wife, Nancy Wyden, owns at least $1.5 million in the four major companies, but may have as much as $3 million in investments. She also made between $15,001 and $50,000 in dividends from Apple that year.

Notably, Nancy Wyden may still have some involvement in all members of the Big Five. The financial disclosure shows she sold Meta holdings worth between $50,001 and $100,000, and it currently lists her holdings in the company as “None (or less than $1,001).”

The Senate Finance Committee has wide-ranging jurisdiction over numerous federal matters ranging from trade to taxation, and the Republicans pointed out how his wife’s investments may pose a conflict of interest.

“Conflicts of interest like this would pose ethical problems for any policymaker. But yours is especially problematic, given that you personally wield enormous power over the economic fate of the very same companies these investments support,” the letter continued.

From the Washington Examiner:

This isn’t the first time the senator has come into a conflict of interest problem. His wife has also reportedly bought and sold oil company shares while her husband led energy committees.

Ron Wyden, a staunch supporter of internet freedom, has led the push for deregulating Big Tech and pressed President Joe Biden to reverse the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s decision to “allow the free flow of information across borders.”

“Your Committee has direct jurisdiction over issues such as trade agreements and the taxation of multinational corporations,” club leaders wrote. “And we note that even as your household invests in Big Tech companies, you personally are pressing the Biden administration to enshrine a ‘digital trade’ framework into international trade policy that would help Big Tech preemptively shut down regulation.”

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