Mullin’s Significant Investments in Companies with DHS Contracts Raise Red Flags
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of Senator Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing for DHS Secretary tomorrow, Public Citizen released research showing that Mullin appears to hold shares in at least six companies —RTX, L3Harris Technologies, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and VSE Corporation — that have significant contracts with the Department of Homeland Security.
Cabinet members are typically supposed to divest their stocks or recuse themselves from issues involving those companies, though divesting doesn’t automatically eliminate the conflicts.
|
Stock Mullin Has Bought |
Min Value |
Max Value |
DHS Contracts |
|
RTX |
$65,000 |
$150,000 |
|
|
L3Harris Technologies |
$15,000 |
$50,000 |
|
|
Amazon |
$215,000 |
$550,000 |
|
|
Alphabet |
$150,000 |
$350,000 |
|
|
Microsoft |
$400,000 |
$850,000 |
|
|
VSE |
$30,000 |
$100,000 |
|
|
Totals |
$875,000 |
$2,050,000 |
Note: The companies may have additional contracts not captured here.
Over the weekend, the New York Times published a deep dive into Mullin’s stock market investments, and the wealth he has accumulated while in office as a result.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement ahead of Mullin’s confirmation hearing:
“Senator Mullin has been among the most active stock traders in Congress and his wealth has soared in value while in the Senate. So far, Senator Mullin has not committed to selling his shares in companies contracting with the Department of Homeland Security, which should be the bare minimum for any nominee seeking confirmation.
“If Republicans thought Noem’s self-promoting and dealing was problematic, they have not explained why Mullin’s is different, including his recent multiple trades at DHS-connected corporations.
“Beyond these deeply concerning conflicts of interest, all evidence indicates that Mullin plans to follow in Kristi Noem and Trump’s cruel footsteps at DHS with more aggressive enforcement, more detention, more defense of ICE immunity. He should not be confirmed.”