Republican representing poorest district in Pennsylvania has 'secret' helicopter: report

Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan represents the poorest district in his state, with northeastern citizens mostly coming from union and blue-collar families, but Bresnahan is wealthy enough to have secretly purchased his own personal helicopter, according to recent records filed with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Writing for NOTUS, investigative reporter David Levinthal uncovered that Bresnahan bought a "2024 Robinson R66 that retails between $1 million and $1.5 million."

Bresnahan hasn't included it on his personal financial disclosures so far, but publicly available commercial flight data can be obtained through the website ADS-B Exchange.

Using a limited liability company called RPB Ventures, LLC, Bresnahan purchased the pricey new craft in 2024.

Levinthal noted that a "spokesperson for Bresnahan confirmed the congressman purchased the helicopter last year while he ran for Congress. But the lawmaker appears to have taken steps to conceal the helicopter’s flights, and there’s no record of him ever publicly discussing his helicopter purchase and usage."

He also pointed out that the flight tracking site FlightAware appears to have blocked the owner and operator of the helicopter. “This aircraft (N422RB) is not available for public tracking per request from the owner/operator," it reads when searching for records.

The spokesperson, Hannah Pope, explained that the helicopter was purchased as a business expense for "inspecting infrastructure."

She also said that the initial "goal was to work toward a commercial pilot certificate with a rotorcraft-helicopter rating and use the aircraft to provide emergency response and inspection services that help keep seniors warm, hospitals powered, and schools open.”

However, since being elected to Congress, those dreams have been on hold. She also noted that no taxpayer or campaign funds were used to buy the aircraft. Bresnahan, whose net worth is $48.29 million, according to Quiver Quantitative, purchased the helicopter with his own personal money for the "business."

Nevertheless, in the final days of the political campaign, Levinthal uncovered evidence that Bresnahan appeared to be using the helicopter for campaign purposes.

The helicopter first landed near Scranton on Sept. 19. It flew again on Sept. 22 to the area and then took another 40-mile trip northwest and back. According to the report, flights to Scranton became a regular occurrence. On Oct. 8, Bresnahan used it again to fly from Scranton to Harrisburg and back. He also flew in the area on Oct. 12 and Oct. 20. The election was on Nov. 5.

Since being elected, he has flown many out-of-state trips to New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

The district, which includes Scranton, has a median income of $50,793 for men and $36,520 for women, according to Data USA. Out of its 765,000 residents, there is a large community of Vietnam veterans. President Donald Trump narrowly won the district with 50.4%, and Bresnahan narrowly won his seat by just 6,252 votes.

Read the full report here.