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AG Pam Bondi sold more than $1 million in Trump Media stock the day sweeping tariffs were announced

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lailluminator.com – Robert Faturechi, Brandon Roberts, ProPublica – 2025-05-18 12:02:00


On April 2, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million in Trump Media shares—the company behind Truth Social—coinciding with President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs that sharply dropped the stock market. Bondi’s sales occurred the same day Trump unveiled tariffs causing Trump Media’s stock to fall 13% before rebounding. It’s unclear if Bondi’s trades happened before or after the market closed or if she had nonpublic information, raising ethical concerns. Bondi, a former consultant for Trump Media’s SPAC, pledged to sell her shares within 90 days of confirmation, a deadline approaching in early May.

by Robert Faturechi and Brandon Roberts, ProPublica, Louisiana Illuminator
May 18, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares of Trump Media the same day that President Donald Trump unveiled bruising new tariffs that caused the stock market to plummet, according to records obtained Wednesday by ProPublica.

Trump Media, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, fell 13% in the following days, before rebounding.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” press conference from the White House Rose Garden unveiling the tariffs came after the market closed on April 2. Bondi’s disclosure forms showing her Trump Media sales say the transactions were made on April 2 but do not disclose whether they occurred before or after the market closed.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

Trades by government officials informed by nonpublic information learned through work could violate the law. But cases against government officials are legally challenging, and in recent years judges have largely narrowed what constitutes illegal insider trading.

It’s unclear from the public record whether Bondi as attorney general would have known in advance any nonpublic details about the tariffs Trump was announcing that day. Trump, of course, publicly announced his plans to institute dramatic tariffs during the election campaign. But during the first weeks of his term, the market seemed to assume his campaign promises were bluster.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to questions about the trades.

The disclosure forms do not include the specific amount of stocks sold or their worth but instead provide a rough range. The documents do not say exactly what time she sold the shares or at what price. The company’s stock price closed on April 2 at $18.76 and opened the next morning, after the press conference, at $17.92 before falling more in the days ahead. In addition to selling between $1 million and $5 million worth of Trump Media shares, Bondi’s disclosure form shows she also sold between $250,000 and $500,000 worth of warrants in Trump Media, which typically give a holder the right to purchase the shares.

Bondi’s ownership of Trump Media shares has previously been disclosed. Before she became attorney general, Bondi was a consultant for Digital World Acquisition Corp., the special purpose acquisition company that merged with Trump Media to take the president’s social media company public.

As part of her ethics agreement, Bondi had pledged to sell her stake of Trump Media within 90 days of her confirmation, a deadline that would have allowed her until early May to sell the shares.

On April 1, Trump Media filed a disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission with details about holdings of various top shareholders, including Trump and Bondi. The purpose of the filing is unclear, as is whether it relates to Bondi’s sales the next day. It appeared to reregister for sale shares held by several of the company’s top shareholders.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

The post AG Pam Bondi sold more than $1 million in Trump Media stock the day sweeping tariffs were announced appeared first on lailluminator.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article reports on a situation involving Pam Bondi, a U.S. Attorney General, and the possible ethical implications of her stock trades in Trump Media during a critical market moment. The content is investigative in nature, focusing on the financial transactions and their potential conflicts of interest, particularly with regard to insider trading laws. The tone is factual and analytical, drawing attention to the legal and ethical concerns raised by the timing of Bondi’s sales. While the article raises questions about potential misconduct, it does not explicitly accuse her of wrongdoing, maintaining a neutral stance on the issue. The emphasis on transparency and public accountability aligns with a center-left perspective, which often supports scrutiny of public officials’ financial dealings.

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

How the AcA brought Kandinsky to kindergarten – The Current

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thecurrentla.com – Brooke Broussard – 2025-07-03 13:52:00

SUMMARY: Renée Roberts’ passion for art, inspired by her mother, led her to champion arts education in Acadiana starting in the 1970s. After volunteering with the newly formed Acadiana Arts Council (AcA), she developed Bright New Worlds, placing teaching artists in public schools. Partnering with Burnell Lemoine and Sandy LaBry, they expanded programs using creative funding and alliances, including a key Kennedy Center partnership. AcA’s arts education now reaches 96 schools with 80 teaching artists, offering field trips, grants, and exhibitions like the Student Art Expo. Celebrating 50 years in 2025, AcA aims to raise $18 million by 2030 to deepen cultural impact across Acadiana.

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

The art collective is dead, long live the art collective

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thecurrentla.com – The Current Staff – 2025-07-02 14:55:00

SUMMARY: At the Blue Moon Saloon, musicians like Craig Guillory collaborate in weekly Cajun jams, inspiring each other’s art. For non-musical artists seeking community, ARCHIVES, co-founded by Emma Sonnier and Lex Thomas, fosters collaboration, exhibitions, and professional growth for emerging artists in Lafayette. The group addresses isolation post-education and economic barriers like costly supplies and studio spaces. ARCHIVES hosts events including figure drawing classes and artists’ lounges, offers micro-grants to cover exhibition fees, and plans a supply library. Their efforts build vital networks, supporting artists financially and socially, helping them sustain and advance their creative practices beyond formal settings.

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Midday Ark-La-Miss News Update: July 2, 2025

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www.youtube.com – KTVE – 2025-07-02 13:54:27

SUMMARY: A house fire in Monroe, Louisiana, resulted in the death of a 60-year-old man Tuesday night; the cause is under investigation. In West Carroll Parish, a single-vehicle crash on Plum Grove Road claimed the life of 75-year-old Carl Carr of Epps, Louisiana; he was unrestrained and died after his truck struck a tree. A lawsuit alleges that a female deputy at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison coerced a female inmate into sexual acts with male deputies; no arrests have been made, though one deputy was fired for unrelated battery. Attorney General Liz Murrill announced charges against ten escapees from the Orleans Parish Jail, with a \$50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the last fugitive. Weather conditions include partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 90s; a frontal system may bring showers and thunderstorms through the weekend.

Midday Ark-La-Miss News Update: July 2, 2025

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