U.S. House 'Space Security' Lawmaker's Hidden Bets on Nvidia and GameStop for Over a Year
U.S. Representative Keith Self (R-Texas) reported to Congress on June 30, 2026, that he had purchased five stocks—including Nvidia and GameStop—on January 10, 2025, each in the $1,001–$15,000 range (approximately KRW 1.3 million–19.5 million). On the same day, he also acquired defensive blue-chips such as AT&T, Merck and PepsiCo. His simultaneous bets on an AI semiconductor leader and a signature “meme stock” have nonetheless drawn intense market scrutiny.
Self, a hard-line conservative representing Texas’s 3rd District, sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He serves as vice chair of the Europe Subcommittee of Foreign Affairs and as a member of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, leading hearings on space security, cutting-edge technologies, and emerging threats. From this position, his personal-account purchases of Nvidia (NVDA) and GameStop (GME)—disclosed roughly 18 months after the trades—run counter to the STOCK Act’s requirement to report stock transactions within 45 days, prompting criticism over the delayed disclosure.
Nvidia’s revenue and profit have surged in fiscal 2025–26 amid explosive demand for data-center AI GPUs, lifting its share price to around $200 and its market capitalization to $4–$5 trillion (approximately KRW 5,200–6,500 trillion) by late June 2026, making it the largest U.S. stock. Its nearly 90% rally over the past year reflects aggressive AI infrastructure investment by data-center and cloud providers, record earnings, sizable share buybacks, and expanded dividends. At the same time, U.S.-China technology competition, debates over an AI bubble, and GPU price spikes have entwined regulatory and security concerns. Given Self’s role overseeing foreign policy and science funding, his holdings raise questions of potential conflicts of interest and information asymmetry.
GameStop was reported in the same $1,001–$15,000 purchase bracket, and its share price in 2026 has exhibited high volatility, swinging double digits around the low-$20 range. In Q1 FY2026, the company posted its highest-ever quarterly net profit, achieved double-digit revenue growth, approved $2 billion in share repurchases, and projected full-year EBITDA above $600 million—signs of improved fundamentals. Nevertheless, its status as a meme stock with speculative trading and lingering doubts about growth in its core game-and-console business model means its price remains heavily influenced by news and online community sentiment. A sitting lawmaker trading such a symbolic meme stock—and delaying disclosure—may bolster calls to strengthen the STOCK Act and reignite debate over legislation banning individual stock trading by members of Congress.