44 members of Congress have violated a law designed to stop insider trading and prevent conflicts-of-interest
- Insider and other media have identified numerous US lawmakers not complying with the federal STOCK Act.
- Their excuses range from oversights, to clerical errors, to inattentive accountants.
- Ethics watchdogs - and even some in Congress - want to ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Insider and several other news organizations have this year identified 44 members of Congress who've failed to properly report their financial trades as mandated by the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, also known as the STOCK Act.
Congress passed the law in 2012 to combat insider trading and conflicts of interest among their own members and force lawmakers to be more transparent about their personal financial dealings. A key provision of the law mandates that lawmakers publicly - and quickly - disclose any stock trade made by themselves, a spouse, or a dependent child.
But many members of Congress have not fully complied with the law. They offer excuses including ignorance of the law, clerical errors, and mistakes by an accountant.
While lawmakers who violate the STOCK Act face a fine, the penalty is usually small - $200 is the standard amount - or waived by House or Senate ethics officials. Ethics watchdogs and even some members of Congress have called for stricter penalties or even a ban on federal lawmakers from trading individual stocks, although neither has come to pass.
Here are the lawmakers who have this year violated the STOCK Act - to one extent or another - during 2021:
Feinstein was months late disclosing a five-figure investment her husband made into a private, youth-focused polling company.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from AlabamaTuberville was weeks or months late in disclosing nearly 130 separate stock trades from January to May.
Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from KansasMarshall was up to 17 months late disclosing stock trades for one of his dependent children.
Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from KentuckyPaul was 16 months late in disclosing that his wife bought stock in a biopharmaceutical company that manufactures an antiviral COVID-19 treatment, the Washington Post reported.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from ArizonaKelly, a retired astronaut, failed to disclose on time his investment in a company that's developing a supersonic passenger aircraft, Fox Business reported.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from WyomingLummis was several days late reporting a purchase in August of up to $100,000 in bitcoin, CNBC reported.
Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat from New JerseyMalinowski failed to disclose dozens of stock trades made during 2020 and early 2021, doing so only after questions from Insider.
The independent Office of Congressional Ethics, in part citing Insider's reporting, found "substantial reason to believe" that Malinowski violated federal rules or laws designed to promote transparency and defend against conflicts. It voted 5-1 to refer its findings to the Democrat-led House Committee on Ethics, which confirmed on October 21 that it will continue reviewing the matter.
Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from TexasFallon was months late disclosing dozens of stock trades during early- and mid-2021 that together are worth as much as $17.53 million.
Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a Republican from TennesseeHarshbarger failed to properly disclose more than 700 stock trades that together are worth as much as $10.9 million.
Rep. Katherine Clark, a Democrat from MassachusettsClark, one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the House, was several weeks late in disclosing 19 of her husband's stock transactions. Together, the trades are worth as much as $285,000.
Rep. Blake Moore, a Republican from TexasMoore in early- to mid-2021 did not properly disclose dozens of stock and stock-option trades together worth as much as $1.1 million. He was late again disclosing trades made in August.
Rep. Mo Brooks, a Republican from AlabamaBrooks, who is running for US Senate, failed to properly disclose a sale of Pfizer stock worth up to $50,000.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from TexasCrenshaw was months late disclosing several stock trades he made in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Daily Beast reported.
Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat of NevadaLee failed to properly disclose more than 200 stock trades between early-2020 and mid-2021. Together, the trades are worth as much as $3.3 million.
Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican from OklahomaHern did not disclose nearly two-dozen stock trades in a timely manner, in violation of the STOCK Act. Taken together, the trades are worth as much as $2.7 million.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from FloridaWasserman Schultz was months late reporting four stock trades made either for herself or her child.
Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican from MississippiGuest was more than eight months late disclosing trades in the stock of two oil companies held by a family trust benefitting his wife.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat from New YorkMaloney was months late in disclosing he sold eight stocks he inherited in mid-2020 when his mother died.
Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican from FloridaMast was late disclosing that he had purchased up to $100,000 in stock in an aerospace company. The president of the company had just testified before a congressional subcommittee on which Mast sits.
Rep. Lori Trahan, a Democrat from MassachusettsTrahan was months late disclosing the sale of stock shares in a software company.
Rep. John Rutherford, a Republican from FloridaRutherford failed to properly disclose five individual stock transactions he made in late 2020.
Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat of FloridaCastor was late disclosing the purchase of tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock shares throughout 2021.
Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican from TexasPfluger was several months late disclosing numerous stock purchases or sales made in January or March either by himself or by his wife.
Rep. Brian Higgins, a Democrat from New YorkHiggins was about 11 months late disclosing three stock trades he made in late 2020.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat from IllinoisBustos was months late in disclosing that she had sold up to $150,000 worth of stocks in March.
Rep. Steve Chabot, a Republican from OhioChabot was months late disclosing a stock share exchange he held in early 2021.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican from IndianaSpartz was two weeks late disclosing a purchase of up to $50,000 worth of stock in a commercial real-estate firm.
Rep. Rick Allen, a Republican from GeorgiaAllen, a four-term Republican who represents a large southeastern region of Georgia, appears to have improperly disclosed the purchases and sales of several stocks during 2019 and 2020.
Rep. Mike Kelly, a Republican from PennsylvaniaKelly was more than seven weeks late reporting a stock purchase made by his wife.
Rep. Chris Jacobs, a Republican from New YorkJacobs was months late filing various transactions made throughout early- to mid-2021, Forbes reported.
Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat from VirginiaScott was months late in disclosing a pair of stock sales from December 2020, Forbes reported. NPR also reported several other late transactions, as first identified by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from GeorgiaScott, a Republican from Georgia, was a week late reporting a handful of transactions conducted by his spouse.
Rep. Pete Sessions, a Republican from TexasSessions was a month late in reporting a purchase of stock in Amazon.com.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat from ColoradoPerlmutter ran a few days late in filing disclosures for as much as $30,000 in stock trades his wife made in June.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New YorkSuozzi failed to file required reports on about 300 financial transactions, NPR reported, citing research from the Campaign Legal Center.
Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat from IowaDuring 2019 and 2020, Axne didn't file required periodic transaction reports for more than three-dozen trades, reported NPR, citing research by the Campaign Legal Center.
Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from OhioDavidson didn't properly disclose the sale of stock worth up to $100,000, reported NPR, citing Campaign Legal Center research.
Rep. Lance Gooden, a Republican from TexasGooden failed to file mandatory periodic transaction reports for a dozen stock transactions, per the STOCK Act, reported NPR, citing Campaign Legal Center research. Gooden's office disputed to the Dallas Morning News that the lawmaker did anything wrong.
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican from TennesseeFleischmann, a Republican from Tennessee, was late in disclosing a pair of stock transactions together worth up to $30,000.
Del. Michael San Nicolas, a Democrat from GuamSan Nicolas did not properly disclose two trades — one in 2019 and another in 2020, reported NPR, citing Campaign Legal Center research.
Rep. Jim Banks, a Republican from IndianaBanks was a week late reporting a handful of stock transactions.
Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican from VirginiaWittman was a few days late in disclosing four of his stock transactions that included pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson.
Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican from TexasWilliams did not properly report three stock transactions his wife made in 2019, reported NPR, citing Campaign Legal Center research.
Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican from PennsylvaniaMeuser was about one year late disclosing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock purchases his wife and children made during March 2020, LegiStorm reported.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3zEs0y3
No comments