White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband, lawyer George Conway, has accused President Donald Trump of illegally manipulating financial markets with his suspect claim that there were “numerous” calls from “high-level” Chinese officials to the U.S. last weekend to restart trade talks.

Conway, a conservative legal expert, was reacting to numerous indications that the calls didn’t happen and that Trump made up the claim. China has not confirmed that such calls took place. A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said after Trump’s announcement Monday that he was “not aware” of any such calls.

CNN reported Thursday that Trump “conflated” some kind of communication with the Chinese with a statement at a business forum in China by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Two unnamed officials told CNN that Trump “was eager to project optimism that might boost the markets.” World financial markets, which swooned the previous week as Trump intensified his China trade war rhetoric, rebounded after the president’s phone calls announcement.

Conway said such “market manipulation” constitutes “criminal violations” of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.