A wealthy, first-term House member from the Los Angeles area is voluntarily dumping all of his stock holdings to keep his personal finances from conflicting with his Capitol Hill responsibilities, Dave Levinthal reports.

Rep. George Whitesides, a Democrat representing California’s 27th district, sold 34 individual stock holdings in late March, including shares in companies that hold lucrative contracts with the federal government, according to congressional records reviewed by OpenSecrets.

Taken together, Whitesides’ stock sell-off is worth between $2.32 million and $5.42 million, an OpenSecrets analysis of the records indicates. (Federal lawmakers are only required by law to provide asset values in broad ranges.) 

His sales come at a time when Congress is actively debating whether to force lawmakers to stop trading individual stocks, bonds and cryptocurrency altogether. Prominent Republicans and Democrats alike — from President Donald Trump to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — have recently expressed support for a congressional stock-trade ban of some sort. 

By Indy Scholtens

The Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe to be the director of the CIA on Jan. 23, 2025, with nearly half of Democrats joining Republicans in voting “yes.” Ratcliffe served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021.

After Ratcliffe took charge, the CIA cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a fallout between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump. In addition, the agency has been reviewing its power to use lethal force against drug cartels and it released hundreds of documents regarding the killing of former President John F. Kennedy.

Ratcliffe, 59, worked as an attorney for several private law firms in Texas from 1987 until he started his own firm with his wife, Tucker & Ratcliffe, in 2000. He served as a city council member for the small Texas town Heath from 2001 to 2004, after which he became mayor and served until 2012. At the same time, he spent four years as chief of anti-terriorism and national security of the Eastern District of Texas during the George W. Bush administration and then served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas from 2007 to 2008. Ratcliffe, a Republican, was elected to the House in 2014 to represent Texas’ 4th district. 

During the 2019-20 session, Ratcliffe was a member of the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Intelligence committees. After Dan Coats resigned as DNI, Trump nominated Ratcliffe to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies. But when the media reported on Ratcliffe’s exaggerations on his resume and Democrats called him too partisan to serve in the role, Republicans expressed doubts about him. Ratcliffe withdrew his name as a result but was later renominated by Trump and confirmed as director of national intelligence in May 2020. 

During Trump’s first impeachment trial, Ratcliffe was appointed one of the congressional members of Trump’s defense team, offering “advice and advocacy.”

Trump Cabinet Officials’ Former Clients Are Now Lobbying Their Offices (Sludge)

Alaska House votes down restrictions and disclosure rules for ‘dark money’ campaign cash (KTOO)

15 years after Citizens United, big money dominates politics in Pa. and beyond (Spotlight PA)

Did Cuomo’s ‘Message for Voters’ Violate Campaign Finance Rules? (The New York Times)

Who Really Pays for Congress? Local Donors All But Disappear in 2024 (Independent Voter News)

New analysis from OpenSecrets shows how much local influence has disappeared in congressional elections. The 2024 election cycle, in particular, marked a historic shift in campaign financing — confirming that local money is no longer the lifeblood of congressional campaigns.

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp won’t run for US Senate seat in 2026 against Democrat Jon Ossoff  (The Associated Press)

The election is likely to be closely contested and fantastically expensive. The twin Senate races in 2020, when Ossoff and Raphael Warnock narrowly won and flipped control of the body to Democrats, cost more than $900 million combined, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending. Warnock’s 2022 reelection over Republican Herschel Walker cost more than $470 million, OpenSecrets found.

Meet the AI, crypto executive cozying up to Trump while also backing resistance movement: 'Won't be fooled'  (Fox News)

OpenSecrets data from the 2024 election cycle shows a roughly 50-50 split between Coinbase's donations to congressional Democrats and Republicans. 

Farm Babe: Why is it important to lobby for agriculture? (Ag Daily)

Lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., are divided into various categories, such as Agricultural Services, Crop Production, Livestock, and Dairy. According to Open Secrets, some of the top industry lobbyists are the U.S. Beet Sugar Association ($3.8 million), Archer Daniels Midland ($3.65 million), the National Pork Producers Council ($2.69 million), and Land O’Lakes ($2.49 million). 

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