PERDUE’S PENNIES

Sen. Perdue Bought Up Stock in Cybersecurity Company While Sitting on Cybersecurity Panel

The senator owned up to $250,000 in FireEye stock when he promoted the company’s reports to the Senate’s cybersecurity committee.

Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) promoted a cybersecurity company he owned shares of while serving on the Senate’s cybersecurity committee, The New York Times reports. Perdue reportedly owned nearly $250,000 in FireEye stock and made recommendations based on their reports to other members of the committee. He reported $15,000 in capital gains from his trades involving the company. While he sat on the Senate panel, FireEye secured a $30 million contract with the Army Cyber Command, which based some of its operations at Fort Gordon in Georgia. The Times reported that Perdue was the most prolific stock trader in the Senate by an order of magnitude. Overall, he made 2,596 trades during his six years in office. The Daily Beast previously reported Perdue invested in a defense contractor, BWX Technologies, just before becoming head of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Seapower.