New Jersey Republican Representative Traded Stocks During Two-Month Absence From Congress

Financial records show that a Republican representative from New Jersey bought and sold shares of eight different stocks between March 10 and March 31 while absent from Congress. The trades included shares of Johnson & Johnson, Amcor, Chubb Limited and First Citizens BancShares, with a combined value between $50,008 and $190,000.

The representative personally certified the disclosure and signed it with a digital signature on April 13. News of the United States first reported the filings Tuesday morning.

The representative last voted on March 5 and has missed every subsequent House roll call vote. The representative missed 20 percent of votes between January and March, according to GovTrack. The representative has been out due to an undisclosed illness.

The representative told the New Jersey Globe on Thursday that a return to Capitol Hill for roll call votes is expected soon and that a full recovery is anticipated.

When first entering Congress, the representative pledged to place millions of dollars in personal assets into a congressionally approved blind trust but did not do so, News of the United States reported. The representative has continued to trade personal stocks while sponsoring legislation that would ban members of Congress from short-selling stocks.

The representative signed at least two documents approving staff travel on March 13 and March 14.