Valero Energy Corporation's PAC funded 4 members of Congress. 2 of them are connected to the company in two more ways.
Valero Energy Corporation — money, a committee seat, and the stock
First, the money: Valero's PAC spread $58K across 4 members' campaigns.
Then the access: 2 of those funded members — Curtis and James — sit on committees including Environment and Public Works and Energy and Commerce, with jurisdiction over energy.
Energy is Valero's industry — and that committee is where its rules, funding, and oversight get written.
And the market: those same 2 members also traded VLO — the stock of the company funding their campaigns.
The 2 members
| Member | PAC $ | Gifts | Committee | Trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John CurtisR-UT | $20k | 7 | Environment and Public Works | 4 |
| John JamesR-MI | $5k | 1 | Energy and Commerce | 2 |
The other 2 also took PAC money and disclosed VLO trades — but hold no current seat on a committee overseeing energy.
PAC contributions are legal and disclosed. This surfaces co-occurrence of corporate donations, lobbying, and personal stock trades — not evidence of coordination or quid pro quo.