Bresnahan traded AI stock while he pushed for data centers

Rep. Rob Bresnahan is facing scrutiny after buying stock in a major AI and data center supplier that surged in value while simultaneously advocating for data centers in his Pennsylvania district. Reporting by Capitol Trades, which tracks congressional trading, highlights how these transactions raise questions about potential conflicts of interest among lawmakers.

According to federal disclosure documents, Bresnahan purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 of Credo Technology stock in June 2025, a company that supplies electric cables and chips for data centers. Bresnahan’s office confirmed the purchase totaled $1,454. Since the acquisition, Credo shares have risen approximately 109 percent, part of the broader surge in AI-related companies. Around the same time, Bresnahan publicly encouraged data centers to be built in northeastern Pennsylvania, calling them “catalysts for economic growth and technological innovation.”

Bresnahan, a first-term congressman and a top Republican target in this year’s midterms, has faced criticism for his stock activity. In addition to the Credo purchase, he previously sold up to $130,000 in Medicaid provider stock just a week before voting to cut Medicaid funding under former President Trump’s legislation. Capitol Trades data shows Bresnahan has completed 648 trades since taking office, ranking him as the fifth-most-active trader in Congress.

While Bresnahan’s office maintains that his financial adviser executes all trades without his input, the timing of these transactions has drawn attention from opponents. In April 2025, he publicly praised data center investments in his district, and in July he joined Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in lauding private equity firm Blackstone’s $25 billion investment to build data centers and power plants in northeastern Pennsylvania. Critics argue that these investments can drive local electricity prices up, an issue raised by his Democratic challenger, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, during the campaign. Bresnahan has defended his actions, saying in December that he instructed his financial advisers to halt trading until Congress enacts a ban on members buying and selling individual stocks.

He had previously expressed opposition to lawmakers trading individual equities. “Whether or not they have done something wrong, the idea that we can buy and sell stocks while voting on legislation that will have a direct impact on these companies is wrong and needs to come to an end immediately,” Bresnahan wrote last year in a local newspaper.

Cognetti’s campaign emphasized that she holds minimal stakes in mutual funds that include Blackstone or Credo and does not own any individual stocks. Her office stated, “Mayor Paige supports a ban on congressional stock trading to stop politicians from profiting off their legislative actions.”

Capitol Trades data continues to provide insight into congressional investment activity, shedding light on how lawmakers’ personal finances intersect with their policy positions.