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Official portrait of Richard Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal

D Democrat · Senator, Connecticut
29
Moderate self-dealing
5/6 components have data
#49 of 193 scored

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is among the Senate's wealthiest members, but the bulk of that wealth derives from his wife Cynthia Malkin's family real estate empire (Empire State Realty Trust), which predates and is largely independent of his office and is therefore not scored as office-related enrichment. His household reports substantial individual securities trades—including 2021 Robinhood purchases/sales and 2022 buys of Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Intel—held through Malkin family trusts and funds that his office says neither he nor his wife controls; nonetheless these are disclosable and overlap with the tech and consumer-protection matters before his Commerce and Judiciary committees. He failed to disclose a December 2021 Robinhood sale within the STOCK Act's 45-day window, drawing an ethics watchdog complaint; the Robinhood trades occurred while he publicly called for scrutiny of the platform, a notable timing correlation though not proof of self-dealing. His top campaign industry is lawyers/law firms (about $1.4M in 2019-2024), consistent with his former-attorney-general profile. His Senate attendance is strong (about 1.0% missed votes, better than the median), and public records surfaced no evidence of campaign-fund personal use or of immediate family lobbying his office.

Public record

In Congress since
2011
Committees
Veterans' Affairs (Ranking Member)
Armed Services
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Judiciary
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
Missed votes, 119th Congress
1.2% (11 of 915; median member 1.9%)
Campaign money, 2025–26 cycle
$612K raised · 17% from PACs & committees · $1.5M cash on hand FEC ↗

The stock-trading ban

Senate cloture on H.R. 7008, Sep 30, 2026
No
Cosponsored a ban bill
None

H.R. 7008 bans new stock purchases by members, spouses and dependents; it doesn't force sales of existing holdings. The Senate vote was on the version paired with the SAVE Act, which is why no Democrat voted yes. Full breakdown →

Disclosed stock trades

33trades since Jan 2025
24buys
9sells
0filed past 45 days
$1.6M–$3.6Mdisclosed value range

42 of 43 reports were filed on paper (scanned images) and aren't itemized here; they're linked from the official index.

TradedFiledOwnerAssetTypeAmount
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$50,001 - $100,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$50,001 - $100,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$250,001 - $500,000filing ↗
Sep 11, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseNot Fade Away LLCBuy$250,001 - $500,000filing ↗
Aug 27, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseDays Between LLCBuy$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 27, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseDays Between LLCBuy$250,001 - $500,000filing ↗
Aug 27, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 27, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseDays Between LLCBuy$100,001 - $250,000filing ↗
Aug 27, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$50,001 - $100,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 24, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCBuy$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$50,001 - $100,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$50,001 - $100,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$1,001 - $15,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$15,001 - $50,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$250,001 - $500,000filing ↗
Aug 19, 2026Sep 28, 2026SpouseMH Built to Last LLCPartial sell$100,001 - $250,000filing ↗

Amounts are the ranges members must report, not exact values. The STOCK Act requires a report within 45 days of a trade; "late" counts days past that deadline, measured to the filing date.

How the score breaks down

Stock self-tradinghousehold / spouse
25% weight
55
Household reports large individual securities trades via wife's Malkin family trusts/funds (his office says he and his wife lack control, but they are STOCK-Act-disclosable). Includes 2021 Robinhood buys/sells of roughly $1.27M-$2.55M with an estimated $500k+ gain, and Jan 2022 purchases of $250k-$500k each in Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Intel—sectors his Commerce/Judiciary committees oversee. A Dec 2021 Robinhood sale was disclosed late (56 days vs 45-day limit). Robinhood trades coincided with his public calls to investigate the platform. Score elevated by size, sector overlap, and timing; moderated because trades are held in family trusts he asserts he does not direct.
Blumenthal household bought and sold $1.265M-$2.55M of Robinhood shares in 2021 with an estimated profit of at least $500,000, via a Malkin family fund; a Dec 8, 2021 sale was disclosed Feb 2, 2022—56 days later, exceeding the STOCK Act's 45-day window.News reportingfreebeacon.com ↗A fund controlled by Blumenthal's in-laws bought $250,000-$500,000 each of Microsoft, Amazon, Intel and Alphabet on Jan 31, 2022; his spokeswoman said he 'owns no individual stock' and 'had nothing to do with these stock trades.'News reportingfreebeacon.com ↗The tech holdings pose a potential conflict because Blumenthal sits on the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees, which have worked on legislation affecting those tech companies.News reportingdiscoverthenetworks.org ↗The Malkin fund purchased $500,000-$1,000,000 of Robinhood shares on Feb 1, 2021, the same day Blumenthal called on Congress and consumer groups to investigate the Robinhood-fueled stock craze.News reportingdailycaller.com ↗
Net-worth enrichment in office
15% weight
10
Net worth is estimated well above $80M-$100M, ranking among the Senate's richest. However, the overwhelming majority derives from his wife Cynthia Malkin's inherited family real estate empire (Empire State Realty Trust / Malkin Holdings), which predates and is independent of his Senate office. Per the rubric, pre-office and spousal-inherited wealth is not scored as office-driven enrichment; no sourced evidence shows net-worth growth beyond market returns attributable to his office. Low score reflects absence of office-linked enrichment, not absence of wealth.
Blumenthal is one of the Senate's wealthiest members, with most wealth derived from his wife's family; the Malkins are real estate developers with an ownership stake in the Empire State Building, and his father-in-law Peter Malkin chairs Malkin Holdings/Empire State Realty Trust.Reference databaseen.wikipedia.org ↗OpenSecrets personal-finances page tracks Blumenthal's reported net worth, which is largely tied to family real estate holdings rather than Senate salary.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Money → action alignmentcorrelation, not proof of any quid-pro-quo
20% weight
35
Correlation, not proof. Blumenthal's top industry donor is lawyers/law firms (~$1.43M, 2019-2024 cycle), aligning with his former-attorney-general and Judiciary Committee profile. Several tech firms in his household's portfolio (Microsoft ~$16k, Amazon ~$5k, Intel ~$2.5k) have donated while he serves on Commerce/Judiciary and has both advanced tech-oversight bills and held tech stock. AIPAC-aligned contributions (~$148k) also appear. These are concentration/alignment correlations; no quid-pro-quo is asserted or shown.
Lawyers/Law Firms was Blumenthal's top industry contributor at $1,429,888 for 2019-2024; AIPAC contributed about $148,013.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗Microsoft ($16,000 since 2017), Intel ($2,500 in 2020) and Amazon ($5,000 in 2016)—companies in the family-fund portfolio—have contributed to his campaigns while he sits on committees overseeing tech and cosponsored 2022 tech-oversight legislation.News reportingfreebeacon.com ↗
Campaign-fund personal useno data
15% weight
—
No sourced public record found of Blumenthal campaign or leadership-PAC funds being spent on personal-benefit categories, and no FEC investigation into personal use was identified. Absence of evidence is not penalized.
FEC records for Blumenthal for Connecticut (C00492991) and related committees show standard campaign disbursements; no reporting of personal-use findings was located.Official recordfec.gov ↗
Revolving door & family
15% weight
10
OpenSecrets lists 'Jordan Blumenthal' and 'Bill Blumenthal' in its revolving-door/lobbyist databases, but available records do not establish that either is the senator's immediate family member or that they lobby his office; Jordan Blumenthal's recent role was White House counsel (2024-25), and Bill Blumenthal lobbies on insurance for State Farm. His son Matt Blumenthal is a Connecticut state representative, not a federal lobbyist. No sourced evidence ties family lobbying or a staff-to-lobbyist pipeline directly to his Senate office. Low score reflects weak/unconfirmed linkage.
OpenSecrets maintains revolving-door profiles for individuals named Jordan Blumenthal and Bill Blumenthal; their lobbying work (e.g., Becker & Poliakoff; State Farm insurance) is not shown to be connected to Senator Blumenthal's office.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗Jordan H. Blumenthal's recent listed position was Senior Deputy Associate Counsel in the Biden White House (May 2024-Jan 2025), not lobbying the senator's office.Reference databaselegistorm.com ↗
Skips the job to fundraise
10% weight
5
Strong attendance: Blumenthal missed about 56 of 5,421 roll-call votes (1.0%) from Jan 2011 to mid-2026, better than the 2.8% median for sitting senators. No sourced evidence links missed votes to fundraising events or paid speeches. Low score reflects a strong attendance record.
From Jan 2011 to June 2026 Blumenthal missed 56 of 5,421 roll-call votes (1.0%), better than the 2.8% median among currently serving senators.Reference databasegovtrack.us ↗

Sources behind this score: 5 news reporting · 6 reference database · 1 official record. Score = weighted average of the components that have data; the 1 without sourced evidence are excluded, never counted against the member. Methodology →

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