Trump’s DHS pick caught cashing in on war-linked stocks before military strike

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security is facing heavy scrutiny after a report revealed he made thousands of dollars trading stocks tied to military action overseas.

According to an exclusive report from the Daily Beast, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) purchased “substantial positions” in defense contractor RTX Corp. and oil giants Chevron and ConocoPhillips shortly before U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran.

Financial disclosures show that on Dec. 29, 2025, Mullin bought between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of shares in each of the three companies. Five days later, U.S. forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve against Venezuela.

By Jan 20, Chevron had climbed by roughly 9.5%, while RTX rose about 6%, the report noted.

“Based on those federal disclosure filings and publicly available share price data, Mullin made up to $35,050 from the trio of positions by Monday,” the Daily Beast reported. “That’s equal to around 20 percent of his $174,000 annual Senate salary, or approximately to what the average American earns in six months, according to Forbes.”

The Oklahoma Republican also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which receives classified briefings on U.S. military operations, the outlet added Monday.

“Disclosure rules require members of Congress to report stock trades only within broad ranges, not as precise figures, meaning the exact scale of any gains cannot be determined,” it said.

Trump nominated the MAGA favorite to replace the embattled Kristi Noem, whose ouster followed contentious congressional hearings and controversy surrounding her handling of the department.