While investors follow the trading activity of members of Congress buying stocks and options, disclosures of investments in privately traded companies are sparking increased attention as well. A member of Congress recently disclosed investing in a private drone company with government contracts.
Rep. Lisa McClain Discloses Saronic Investment
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) recently disclosed making a $50,000 to $100,000 investment in privately held maritime drone and autonomous vessel company Saronic Technologies, as reported by the Benzinga Government Trades page.
The trade was made on July 15, 2026, and is listed as being done by a spouse, meaning McClain may not be aware of the trade.
Benzinga reached out for comment and did not hear back.
Saronic was valued at $9.25 billion earlier this year with a March Series D raising $1.75 billion in capital that was led by Kleiner Perkins.
The company gained attention earlier this year in June when one of Saronic’s autonomous maritime vessels was used to rescue a helicopter crew from an Apache helicopter.
Buying stock in a private defense company will draw attention to McClain’s trade, especially with Saronic having government contracts. In December, the company announced a $392 million production contract from the U.S. Navy for autonomous maritime vessels.
The timing of the purchase could also draw attention with Saronic announcing several news items after the purchase was made.
On July 16, Saronic announced a new shipyard in Texas.
On July 24, Saronic announced a strategic partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries. The deal was said to help boost domestic production capabilities and development for American and allied vessel demand. The partnership highlighted the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Republic of Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources working together as allied nations.
McClain is one of the biggest allies of President Donald Trump, often seen answering press questions about policy and congressional votes. She currently serves as the chair of the House Republican Conference, ranking as one of the highest women in Congress.
McClain’s Trading History
This marks the third private company investment made since late 2025 by McClain and her husband. McClain previously disclosed a $100,000 to $250,000 investment in xAI made on Dec. 15, 2025. That investment is now in Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) stock after the two companies merged.
The investment in xAI was made days before the Pentagon agreed to deploy the Grok chatbot for military use.
In an interview with NewsNation, McClain was asked about the investment. McClain said she and her husband had no knowledge of the Pentagon deal, and it was not insider trading.
“Because if it was, we wouldn’t have bought 100,000 shares; we would’ve bought a heck of a lot more,” McClain said.
McClain laughed when asked the question. The comment on 100,000 shares may refer to the investment being for $100,000. Up to 100,000 shares of the privately traded company would likely be worth more than her disclosed investment.
“I can 100% assure you that we didn’t have the insider information.”
McClain also disclosed investing $50,000 to $100,000 in private humanoid robotics company Apptronik, an investment made on Jan. 12, 2026.
The congresswoman has a net worth of $7.99 million according to data from Quiver Quantitative. McClain has done $13.9 million in trading volume since 2024, made up of over 1,400 trades.
McClain was most active in 2025, with $12.17 million in trading volume, consisting of $6.1 million in buys and $6.07 million in sells.
A report from Quiver Quantitative ranked McClain as the third top gainer among members of Congress for their investment portfolio gains in 2025. McClain had a gain of 37% in 2025, outpacing the 16.6% gain for the S&P 500.
Benzinga flagged the trading history of McClain, who is a high-ranking Republican member in Congress, which has raised red flags. McClain filed hundreds of stock transactions late in August. Among those trades were Palantir Technologies, a stock that has risen substantially since her purchase. The company’s government contracts have put a spotlight on members who own the stock.
Photo courtesy of Saronic’s Press Kit