Public Citizen's co-president says Miller's MP Materials sale was not clearly unlawful but a bad look
Public CitizenGovernment watchdog group, through co-president Robert Weissman, quoted by The New York Times
Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman tells The New York Times it was not obvious that any ethics law was broken in Miller's MP Materials purchase or sale, but calls it a large investment in an obscure company that benefited from the administration's interventions.
Responding to
In at least 10 of the 27 sales on Stephen Miller's August 2025 transaction report, the reported value is too low to match the shares the Office of Government Ethics certified for sale.
“this is a large investment in an obscure company that just happened to massively benefit from the unusual interventions of the Trump administration”
Reporting
Other statements by Public Citizen in this case
Where this statement fits
Public Citizen says Stephen Miller's disclosures misreport his family's 2025 stock sales; the White House says he complies with ethics rules
On October 30, 2026, Public Citizen published an analysis saying Stephen Miller's financial disclosures appear to misreport stock sales his family made on August 14, 2025. It says the reported values of at least 10 of 27 sales are too low to match the shares the Office of Government Ethics certified for sale, and that about $1.4 million in his children's accounts is not accounted for in his filings. The White House says Miller complies with all ethics requirements. Public Citizen asks the Office of Government Ethics to review the filings.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
New York Times report, republished by the Las Vegas Sun on December 10, 2025, on Miller's August 2025 sale of MP Materials shares after the government's deal with the company. It quotes White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson and Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Times reports that Weissman said it was not obvious that any ethics laws or rules were violated in the acquisition or sale of the MP Materials shares.
After the quotation
Weissman adds: "At minimum, it's a really bad look."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Miller's handling of his family's August 2025 stock sales and how his disclosure filings report them. Weissman says it was not obvious that any ethics laws or rules were violated, but criticizes the holding as a really bad look, a mixed assessment.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Stephen Miller
More from this case
Read the full caseWhite House says Miller complies with all ethics requirements
The White House
“The White House regularly works with appointees to provide ethics guidance and help ensure compliance with applicable federal ethics laws and regulations. Stephen Miller complies with all ethics requirements.”Read statement
White House says Miller fully divested in coordination with the ethics office
The White House
“Stephen fully divested from stock holdings early in the administration in proactive coordination with the Office of Government Ethics on the timeline guidance they provided”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Public Citizen's co-president says Miller's MP Materials sale was not clearly unlawful but a bad look
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/7733-public-citizen-co-president-robert-weissman-tells-the
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Public Citizen's co-president says Miller's MP Materials sale was not clearly unlawful but a bad look". First published: 2026-11-01. Last updated: 2026-11-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/7733-public-citizen-co-president-robert-weissman-tells-the