FBI Director Kash Patel purchased between $100,001 and $250,000 in Strategy stock on Nov. 21, 2025, but did not disclose the trade until May 26, 2026, according to a NOTUS report published July 1. Patel attributed the six-month delay to an inadvertent omission from a miscommunication in a letter to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act requires senior executive branch officials to publicly report stock trades over $1,000 within 45 days, a deadline Patel's disclosure missed by roughly six months.
STOCK Act Sets 45-Day Disclosure Deadline
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act gives senior executive branch officials 45 days to publicly report any stock trade over $1,000. Patel's disclosure landed roughly six months past that window. Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, acting vice president at the Project on Government Oversight, called the delay a clear breach of federal law.
DOJ Ethics Official Clears Patel of Conflict on May 28
Two days after Patel's letter to the Office of Government Ethics, Deputy Assistant Attorney General William N. Taylor II sent his own letter stating the purchase did not create a conflict of interest with Patel's FBI duties. The FBI told NOTUS the mistake was caught, the paperwork was amended, and a DOJ ethics official approved the correction. No STOCK Act fine has been issued as of early July.
Strategy Holds Justice Department Software Contracts
Strategy has held federal contracts with the Justice Department for software licensing and maintenance, according to records on USAspending.gov. The business intelligence company holds bitcoin on its balance sheet, and the FBI actively investigates crypto fraud and has publicized large bitcoin seizures. Patel has posted about crypto enforcement actions on X. By the time the July 1 report surfaced, Strategy stock had lost roughly half its value since Patel made the purchase.
Patel Previously Disclosed Krispy Kreme and Semiconductor Trades Late
Patel bought Krispy Kreme shares in May 2025, around the time the FBI was investigating a ransomware breach at the donut chain, Dave Levinthal, an editor at NOTUS, reported. He also picked up ON Semiconductor shares that same month, while selling large positions in Nvidia and Palantir as part of his ethics divestiture agreement. Patel says every trade goes through a DOJ pre-approval process before execution, with ethics officials signing off that no conflict exists.
Trump and Vance Report Crypto Holdings in Financial Disclosures
Vice President JD Vance reported owning between $250,001 and $500,000 in bitcoin held on Coinbase. President Trump disclosed more than $50 million in self-custodied bitcoin and over $1 billion in crypto-related profits.
FAQ
What stock did Kash Patel buy on Nov. 21, 2025?
Kash Patel purchased between $100,001 and $250,000 in Strategy stock on Nov. 21, 2025, according to a NOTUS report published July 1.
Why did the Project on Government Oversight call Patel's disclosure a law violation?
Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, acting vice president at the Project on Government Oversight, called the six-month delay a clear breach of federal law because the STOCK Act requires senior executive branch officials to publicly report stock trades over $1,000 within 45 days.
