Nostra
Diamond Member
- Oct 7, 2019
- 92,687
- 84,212
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- Thread starter
- #261
Explain these away with something besides NUH-UH and ORANGE MAN BAD.....
Timeline of Notable Nancy Pelosi’s Trades and Controversies
Fast forward to the late 2010s and early 2020s, and Pelosi’s stock trades started raising eyebrows again. Here’s a timeline of some of her most high-profile and suspicious trades, especially those involving big tech stocks or uncanny timing with political events:
December 2020 – Tesla Call Options
In December 2020, Paul Pelosi purchased 25 call options for Tesla (worth up to $1 million). Just weeks later, in January 2021, the incoming Biden administration announced plans to electrify the federal vehicle fleet, a policy that naturally boosted electric car companies like Tesla.
The timing was so on-the-nose that it fueled online chatter that the Pelosis “knew something.” Federal officials said there was no evidence Pelosi had foreknowledge of the specific policy, and such trades by a spouse aren’t illegal under current rules.
March 2021 – Microsoft Investment Before a Big Contract
In March 2021, Paul Pelosi made a huge bet on Microsoft. On March 19, 2021, he exercised call options to acquire 15,000 Microsoft shares at $130 each (spending about $1.95 million) and bought 10,000 more shares at $140 (another ~$1.4 million).
Amazingly, just 12 days later Microsoft won a massive $22 billion U.S. Army contract for AR headsets, news that caused Microsoft’s stock to jump about 10–11%. That meant the Pelosis likely saw a quick gain on a multi-million-dollar trade, once again right before big news.
June 2021 – Big Payday from Alphabet (Google) Calls
In June 2021, Paul Pelosi cashed in on Alphabet (Google) call options that he had bought the year prior. On June 18, 2021, just a week before the House Judiciary Committee voted on antitrust bills targeting Big Tech, he exercised 40 call options to buy 4,000 Alphabet shares at $1,200 each.
Alphabet’s stock was trading around $2,500 at the time, so this move instantly netted him about $5.3 million in profit. In other words, he more than doubled his money. The fact this exercise happened right before Congress was set to debate reining in tech giants looked very coincidental.
For context, those antitrust proposals ultimately weren’t as damaging to tech companies as feared, and the stocks kept climbing.
Also in 2021 – Apple, Amazon, and Others
The Pelosis didn’t limit their bets to just one or two companies. Disclosure filings show that in May 2021, Paul Pelosi bought 50 Apple call options (strike price $100) and 20 Amazon call options (strike $3,000), among other trades.
These options were set to expire in June 2022, indicating a bullish outlook on tech. He also picked up call options in Disney, Roblox, and Micron Technology later in 2021. All told, many of the Pelosis’ 2020–2021 trades were concentrated in tech stocks, the very sector under Congressional scrutiny for antitrust and regulatory issues.
December 2021 – “We’re a Free Market Economy”
As criticism mounted, a reporter directly asked Speaker Pelosi if Congress members’ spouses should be banned from trading on insider info. Pelosi defended the practice, replying, “We’re a free market economy” and lawmakers (and their spouses) should be able to participate in that”.
That soundbite did not go over well. It poured fuel on the fire, with critics arguing that lawmakers enjoying a “free market” advantage is exactly the problem. This moment was a turning point that really galvanized public frustration. Even some of Pelosi’s fellow lawmakers (on both sides of the aisle) started pushing harder for a ban on congressional stock trading around this time.
July 2022 – The Nvidia Trade and Public Backlash
By mid-2022, pressure was growing. In June 2022, Paul Pelosi exercised options to buy 20,000 shares of Nvidia, one of the world’s top semiconductor firms. He already held 5,000 Nvidia shares from an earlier purchase in July 2021.
That summer, Congress was working on the CHIPS Act, a major subsidy package to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry. In other words, Pelosi was investing millions in a chip company right as the government (under Pelosi’s leadership in the House) was about to pass a $52 billion chip subsidy bill.
This looked so bad that, as media scrutiny grew, Pelosi’s office responded that she had no involvement or prior knowledge of her husband’s stock decisions. Facing the heat, Paul Pelosi abruptly sold all 25,000 Nvidia shares on July 26, 2022, just before the House vote, realizing about a $341,000 loss on the trade.
In this case, the Pelosis lost money, which Pelosi’s critics noted is ironic, the one time they sold under pressure to avoid the appearance of impropriety, it cost them. Nevertheless, the Nvidia episode was a PR fiasco. It led to headlines and renewed calls to ban congressional trading altogether.
Even Pelosi, who had long opposed such a ban, reversed her stance and said in early 2022 that she would consider legislation to restrict or ban stock trading by members of Congress.
