Summary
⚈ The timing of his trades coincided with market volatility caused by Trump’s shifting tariff policies, which triggered a sharp rally the following day.
⚈ Mullin has a history of controversial trades, including a 200% gain on Sprouts Farmers Market.
Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, one of Congress most notorious stock traders, has disclosed a series of transactions whose timing raises questions.
According to the filings published on May 12, Mullin sold equities across multiple companies on April 8, when the S&P 500 closed at its 2025 low of 4,982 amid heightened market uncertainty.
The transactions, each ranging between $15,001 and $100,000, involved major stocks including Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE), Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), CSX (NASDAQ: CSX), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX), Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO), Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN), Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO), and Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS).
Congress tariff dips into trade controversy
The sale coincided with market turbulence triggered by President Donald Trump’s trade tariff policies. However, on April 9, he paused most tariffs for 90 days, excluding China, where tariffs were hiked to 125%, sparking a sharp rally.
Given this context, Mullin’s sales one day before the rebound suggest he may have anticipated the market’s move, prompting speculation that he could have acted on privileged or non-public information.
Overall, Congress trades during Trump’s tariff shift has come under growing scrutiny, considering the number of politicians who have seemingly profited.
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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, for instance, profited from buying the dip, with her purchase of American software giant Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) standing out.
Mullin, meanwhile, has a track record of controversial trades. As reported by Finbold, he previously bought shares of Capital One (NYSE: COF) shortly after the company received regulatory approval to proceed with its acquisition of Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS).
Notably, he also netted over 200% returns on his investment in Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ: SFM), which raises questions about his trading activity.
Featured image via Shutterstock
