Fayetteville Observer: “As for Whatley’s war profits, congresspeople who own stocks often find themselves in these unseemly conflicts of interest, because they vote on critical legislation that inevitably affects the market.”

A new column from the Fayetteville Observer is highlighting that DC insider Michael Whatley is personally financially profiting from the war in Iran as it spikes his oil and gas investments. Whatley is a “longtime oil lobbyist” who represented Big Oil companies for years, and currently holds “up to a million plus dollars” in investments in the major oil companies that have spiked following military action in Iran. 

As Whatley profits off the war he supports, he has said he doesn’t “think we’re sacrificing our soldiers at all right now.” More than 1,500 troops from Fort Bragg have been deployed to the Middle East and 13 service members have been killed. 

This isn’t the first time Whatley has advocated for military action that benefits his bottom line. Earlier this year, he cheered on the Trump administration’s pledge to increase oil production in Venezuela and reaped up to $63,000 in a single weekend from his oil and gas stocks.

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Fayetteville Observer: What Michael Whatley gains from supporting Trump’s Iran War | Opinion

Myron Pitts | April 2, 2026

• In a military community like Fort Bragg, war rhetoric can carry real weight 

• Whatley, a former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, already has Trump’s endorsement. But now he must keep it. That means in this moment in history attaching himself to the deeply unpopular Iran War, which the U.S. and Israel initiated just under a month ago, killing Iran’s effective head of state and many in top leadership. Thirteen service members have been killed and more than 200 injured. 

• Where a would-be senator from North Carolina stands on war and peace is particularly critical in the Fayetteville-Fort Bragg community. Already, 1,500 82nd Airborne paratroopers have been deployed to the Middle East. They join a surge of what could ultimately be 5,000 troops, a mix of soldiers and Marines. If there is any kind of major ground operation, we can say with certainty more soldiers from here will go.  

• But Whatley said March 4, in a radio interview, that he trusted the president to execute on a “very well-defined” mission in Iran. He said the action needed to be taken to stop the country from producing nuclear weapons.

• The additional wrinkle for Whatley is that he owns oil and gas stocks, which spike in times of disruption, as the overall economy suffers. This happened with Whatley’s holdings when Trump in February raided Venezuela and captured its head of state, Nicolás Maduro — an action Whatley called a very important step.

• Politico, in a February story titled “Whatley’s windfall,” noted that he and his family members owned a million-plus dollars in three major oil companies and that the share prices spiked, raising the investment by $22,000 to $63,000.

• Nevertheless, the same stock bounce is happening with Whatley’s stocks due to the Iran War, which he supports. 

• As for Whatley’s war profits, congresspeople who own stocks often find themselves in these unseemly conflicts of interest, because they vote on critical legislation that inevitably affects the market.  

• This is why both Whatley and his Democratic opponent, former governor Roy Cooper, have said they believe members of Congress should sell their individual stocks or put them in a trust. Cooper is additionally calling on Whatley to set the example and sell his stocks now. (Felts, his spokesperson, said Whatley would do so if elected to the Senate.)

• Whatley seeks to serve as senator in a state, where he himself has noted, has one of the largest military populations. 

• Appearances do matter, all the more so in politics.

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