GOP rep who promised voters he'd end stock trading now 'most prolific' investor

Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), who campaigned on banning stock trading among lawmakers, is now one of the House's "most prolific traders," according to Business Insider.

The report said that Bresnahan wrote an op-ed in a local paper in March 2021 "stating that if elected, he would co-sponsor legislation to ban stock trading in Congress."

Bresnahan argued at the time, "Some of the most prolific traders in the country serve in Congress. Whether or not they have done something wrong, the idea that we can buy and sell stocks while voting on legislation that will have a direct impact on these companies is wrong and needs to come to an end immediately."

ALSO READ: FBI silent as far-right podcaster demands Trump execution and Kash Patel torture

But since being sworn into office in January, Bresnahan has traded securities more than 530 times, Business Insider reported.

"Forty of those trades, worth at least $166,000, were made after May 6, when he announced that he would move his assets into a blind trust," the report said.

Besnahan's portfolio is reportedly managed by a third party, but the lawmaker "has apparently continued to allow that advisor to make trades on his behalf, even after his trades began to draw significant media scrutiny two months ago," the report said.

A spokesperson addressed the controversy, saying,, "As we've said repeatedly, Rob has no involvement in the stock trades made by his financial advisor. He's in the process of finalizing a blind trust which requires sign-off from the House Ethics Committee."

Business Insider wrote that "Bresnahan isn't the only lawmaker who continues to trade stocks despite backing a stock trading ban. He's also not the only lawmaker who has continued to trade despite announcing plans for a blind trust."

Read the Business Insider report here.