Rep. Taylor Greene invested $50, 000 in Trump-backed company

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Rep. Taylor Greene invested $50, 000 in Trump-backed company

Rep. Greene speaks to reporters about being temporarily suspended from Twitter.

Reuters - U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of Donald Trump, bought as much as $50,000 worth of shares in the new acquisition company SPAC that has agreed to merge with the former President's special purpose social media venture.

On Oct. 22, the day they rose in value by as much as 1,650% from what they were worth before the deal, as amateur traders and Trump supporters snapped them up, according to a regulatory filing published on Wednesday.

The shares of the SPAC, Digital World Acquisition Corp, have given up most of their gains since Greene invested on Friday. Greene's representatives did not respond to a request for comment on how her investment has fared so far.

There is no suggestion that Greene broke any rules with her investment. Members of Congress are allowed to trade shares as long as they are not using non-public information.

A firebrand Republican, Greene has often been blocked for provocative comments and Twitter Inc has on occasions criticized her social media account. In June, the 47-year-old congresswoman from Georgia publicly apologized for comparing COVID - 19 mask requirements and vaccinations to the Nazi Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews.

The shares of Digital World were up 73% on Thursday afternoon since the deal announcement, giving Trump's company, Trump Media Technology Group, a valuation of about $6.3 billion. The company's social media app has not yet launched even on a trial basis, yet it has big ambitions given Trump's previous social media following.

Trump and other shareholders of the SPAC will initially own 69% of the combined company after the merger with the Trump Media Technology Group, a regulatory filing showed this week. Their ownership could reach 77% if the company's stock meets certain price milestones.