Ignored PLTR’s Boom—Now Congress Is Trading as Contracts Roll In

Palantir Technologies (PLTR:US) has long been a favorite of retail investors captivated by its government contracts and bold narrative around AI and national security. But 2025 has brought the company back into the spotlight for reasons that go beyond its balance sheet. In recent weeks, several U.S. lawmakers have disclosed trades in Palantir stock—just as the company secures some of its most high-profile and controversial government deals to date.

The timing is hard to ignore. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reported two separate purchases of Palantir stock in April 2025, both in the $1,000 to $15,000 range. These trades came just as Palantir was about to grab headlines for a major expansion of its government footprint which led to a gain of 57% to-date. Greene had also bought the stock back in February. She's not alone—at least six other lawmakers, including Representatives Ro Khanna, Gil Cisneros, Julie Johnson, and James Comer, have also disclosed Palantir trades this year.

Putting aside Ro Khanna’s trades, as he is the only politician in this group with a track record of trading Palantir before 2025—buying through a third party when the stock was still fighting to prove itself, and now selling after its explosive rise. 

As politician trades pile up, Palantir stock is up more than 56% year-to-date, adding to a staggering 300% gain mostly at the end of 2024. Wall street analysts expect the company to post first-quarter revenue of $863 million, a 36% jump from the year before. Much of that is fueled by government work—$460 million, to be precise—with another $403 million coming from its rapidly growing commercial segment.

Among its most attention-grabbing deals is a $618.9 million contract extension from the U.S. Army for the Vantage program, a data platform that consolidates intelligence across commands. Palantir also locked in a $30 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build the Immigration Lifecycle Operating System—a tool designed to optimize deportation processes. That deal alone has stirred criticism from civil liberties groups, and yet it barely scratches the surface of the company’s reach. Palantir is also reportedly involved in the so-called “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative alongside SpaceX and Anduril, raising eyebrows in Congress over procurement ethics and transparency.

This trio of defense, immigration, and AI contracts has done more than boost revenue projections—it has reignited ethical debates over Palantir’s role in surveillance and national security, as well as concerns about how closely politics and personal investing intertwine. The company's involvement in sensitive government functions while simultaneously becoming a favorite among lawmakers’ portfolios raises uncomfortable questions. Are these trades based on public information, or something closer to the privileged insights that come with access to federal agencies and budget pipelines?