Yeah this is nothing new and yes it is wrong. Some of the D.'s appointees are political concessions to the RNC. That is the ugly side of politics. Money making is another ugly side to politics that we would like to eliminate or at least limit as greed is a basic human nature.
Congress is exempt from inside trading rules and even when they write new laws to check themselves, they usually have an out. Some on the left side of the isle are the biggest money makers of this game.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmit.../#606ed286f862