A tale of Sen. John Fetterman, a stock trade and an 'administrative error'
The Pennsylvania Democrat makes laws – but he just got crosswise with one, too
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is a lot of things these days.
He’s a go-off-on-his-own Democrat that lots of Democrats love to hate, even as some attempt to keep him happy.
He’s also a Democrat and some Republicans have tried to woo to their side.
Fetterman is also the latest member of Congress to violate the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act — a law that lawmakers seem to break just about every other week these days. (Six recent examples here.)
The STOCK Act was passed by Congress for Congress to stop insider trading, curb conflicts of interest and enhance public transparency.
As for Fetterman, here’s what I’ve reported in NOTUS:
Fetterman was about a year late disclosing the April 2025 purchase of a corporate bond for First Citizens BancShares, the holding company for First Citizens Bank, made on behalf of one of his dependent children, the records indicate.
The listed purchase value: between $1,000 and $15,000. (Lawmakers are only required to disclose the value of their stock and bond trades in broad ranges.)
So what, exactly, caused the problem?
In a message to Senate officials, Fetterman said that the corporate bond purchase was “inadvertently omitted” from on-time disclosure because of an “administrative error.” He added that the transaction was “not directed or requested by the filer, filer’s spouse, or filer’s dependent child,” but did not further elaborate.
Fetterman’s Senate office did not respond to requests for comment.
You might think there are some serious consequences for a member of the Senate who violate a law such as the STOCK Act.
But here’s reality:
It’s unclear whether Fetterman paid a standard $200 fine for violating the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act’s requirement that lawmakers publicly disclose stock, bond and cryptocurrency trades no later than 45 days after executing them. The Senate Ethics Committee, which polices the STOCK Act within the Senate, declined to comment Monday.
While many senators hire financial professionals to manage their money, “it is the filer’s responsibility to monitor accounts owned by you, your spouse, and your dependent children, recognize reportable transactions, and file [periodic transaction reports] in a timely manner,” the Senate Ethics Committee states in its official financial-disclosure instructions to senators.
“While you may have a discretionary account allowing a financial advisor to buy, sell, and exchange investments on your behalf, the Committee strongly recommends that you receive and review account statements on at least a monthly basis,” the guidance continues.
For the full story, as well as a list of every other member of Congress who’s violated the STOCK Act in recent months, please keep reading here.
If only this was the sole problem with Fetterman. While not the only one in Washington in dire need of psychological intervention, he is one of the officials who stands out because I am almost tempted to feel sorry for him. Then I think of his staff and I wonder about them how they feel and what the dynamics are in his office - do they eat lunch with staff of other Democrats or are they related to sitting at a pity table.
Fetterman dives deeper by the day into the same swamp as trump. He's likely the Worst senator in Pennsylvania history serving the WORST president in American history. Every day a new daft scheme that senator hoodie n shorts reveals. He Must resign! Before He's brought up on charges. Another mental case like DJT. Both out ASAP.