Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, sold over $500,000 worth of Visa stock just months before the credit card company faced federal antitrust charges. The Justice Department's antitrust unit initiated a lawsuit against Visa, accusing the company of illegally dominating the debit card market. Court documents claim Visa leveraged its market power to disadvantage customers and merchants using competing payment processors. The company allegedly coerced financial tech firms into collaborating by threatening penalties for non-compliance. Pelosi's sale of Visa shares was disclosed on July 3, raising questions about insider knowledge due to his wife being a prominent figure in Washington.

While Nancy Pelosi's spokesperson stated that the congresswoman does not personally hold stocks and was not involved in the transactions, critics have questioned potential conflicts of interest. The appearance of impropriety has been raised given Pelosi's influential role in government, with concerns about access to non-public information relevant to the markets. However, former SEC enforcement attorney, Ron Geffner, noted the importance of investigating the transaction's details and its impact on Pelosi’s overall portfolio before rushing to judgment.

In addition to the sale of Visa shares, Paul Pelosi also sold Tesla stock and acquired shares in Nvidia and Broadcom. The Pelosi family's substantial stock and investment portfolio have contributed to Nancy Pelosi's significant net worth, despite stepping down from the House speakership. Calls for prohibiting legislators and their spouses from trading stocks have been resisted by Pelosi, leading to ongoing scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest in congressional trading activities. Visa disclosed that the Justice Department's antitrust unit was investigating potential violations in the company's competitive conduct, particularly in its relationships with Square, Stripe, and PayPal. Visa maintains its compliance with applicable laws and continues to cooperate with federal authorities in the ongoing investigation.