‘Game on!’ in 8th Congressional district: Cognetti, Bresnahan contest off to a wild start

WILKES-BARRE — On the day after nominations closed, two candidates are on the ballot in the 8th Congressional District, and the battle is on.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township, is in his first term in Congress, and he will be challenged in his bid for reelection by Scranton Democratic Mayor Paige Cognetti.

And as soon as the bell rang to officially start the battle, both candidates came out swinging.

Cognetti and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee went on the offensive, alleging that Bresnahan has discussed stock trading options with his financial advisors, despite denying the accusation and promising to introduce legislation to prevent such activity.

Bresnahan countered by questioning Cognetti’s role in a $5 million grant for a bank whose board includes a member of her family.

Cognetti held a news conference on Wednesday at the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s regional office on Route 315 in Wilkes-Barre, where she addressed the National Republican Campaign Committee’s claims about the Fidelity Bank loan.

Cognetti campaign spokesperson Anna Korman issued a statement on the issue.

“Mayor Paige Cognetti has breathed new life into the city by creating good-paying union jobs, upgrading Scranton’s credit rating to A- level status, and investing millions of dollars in policing,” Korman said. “Every decision Paige has made as mayor has been with the goal of benefiting the people — never herself. While Rob Bresnahan plays the stock market in Washington and votes to unleash higher prices and devastating health care cuts on his own community, Paige will continue to deliver for the hardworking people of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

According to the Cognetti campaign, the renovated building for which the loan was issued will be a Police Department real-time crime center facility. Cognetti also explained this at the news conference.

The campaign provided a comment from Scranton Police Chief Thomas F. Carroll, who stressed the project’s importance.

“To optimize space will enhance our operations,” Chief Carroll said. “To have this opportunity right now is a gold mine for us.”

According to the Cognetti campaign, the NRCC is talking about Cognetti’s “uncle-in-law” — her husband’s uncle. She said there are 186 Cognettis in the region. Korman said the Cognettis have supported the mayor’s campaign.

Cognetti on the race

“We are officially the only candidate filed to run against Congressman Bresnahan,” Cognetti said. “It’s game on.”

Cognetti said she has visited all five counties in the 8th District, talking face to face with people who tell her they are fed up with a broken Washington and a political system that allows politicians to profit while hardworking families feel the pain.

“I have said since day one that Congressman Bresnahan was the person who recruited me into this race, because I could not sit back and watch any more of his lies and broken promises that hurt our community,” Cognetti said. “NEPA is tired of corrupt politicians. We can’t go back.”

The stock trading issue

Cognetti referenced a report in Politico, a global news organization specializing in politics and policy, that reported that Bresnahan admitted to discussing his upcoming stock “positions” with his financial advisor, after insisting for months that he did not — an allegation that Bresnahan has repeatedly denied.

“You don’t have to take my word for it,” Cognetti said. “You and your viewers, readers, and listeners can listen to Congressman Bresnahan’s confession tape for yourself. He admits he has had an active role in his stock portfolio, all while voting to unleash higher prices and devastating health care cuts on his own community. It’s truly sickening.”

Cognetti went on to say that while Bresnahan was voting for health care cuts, tariff and trade policy, and on sending more money to foreign wars, he was actively speaking with his financial advisor about his stock portfolio.

“That’s not what public service should look like,” Cognetti said. “That’s the definition of public corruption.”

Cognetti also noted that former Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Jim Greenwood publicly called on Bresnahan to resign after this new audio came to light. Greenwood said Bresnahan’s actions “crossed a red line.”

Cognetti added, “Let’s not forget, Congressman Bresnahan said he would ban congressional stock trading, but has instead become one of the most active stock traders in all of Congress.”

The Cognetti campaign also claimed that Bresnahan profits from the success of Fidelity — and Mayor Cognetti does not.

The Cognetti campaign said in his first financial disclosure, filed as a candidate in January 2024 and covering 2023, Bresnahan reported owning between $250,001 and $500,000 worth of Fidelity D&D Bancorp, Inc. (FDBC) stock. The campaign also claimed multiple members of the Fidelity board have contributed to Rob Bresnahan directly.

Rep. Bresnahan’s campaign responds

Bresnahan Campaign spokesman Chris Pack offered comment.

“Rob Bresnahan has consistently said that he does not have any involvement in stock trades, no matter how much Goldman Sachs private wealth advisor Paige Cognetti tries to take his comments out of context to prop up her campaign,” Pack said. “The fact that the local media is once again amplifying her desperate lies, first published by a liberal DC blog, perfectly illustrates why trust in local journalism continues to collapse.”

Pack encouraged voters to review the transcript from the WILK (April 2025) interview and consider the context.

“Even setting aside the fact that Rob does not trade his own stocks, it simply would not make sense for someone to voluntarily bring that up in the middle of an answer like this,” Pack said, before providing the transcript of the interview on WILK.

“HOST: So, so, sum and substance, you’re saying, ‘Look, I did not buy and sell on information I’ve gleaned here in Congress. My advisor’s doing my trading for me, and I am duly reporting it.’ Is that fair? Is that fair?”

“BRESNAHAN: Absolutely. Right hand to God on my mother’s life. Without a question. And honestly, you can go on Twitter. I find out about my holdings sometimes on Twitter. I’m not on a day-by-day, minute-by-minute. I mean, I meet with my financial advisor, we talk about, you know, what different positions are coming up, and I actually even took it a step further. I’m in the process of exiting all of my Pittston real estate, because I don’t want there to even be an inkling of improprieties, if, in the event, if the city of Pittston is worthwhile of a federal investment, I don’t want anyone anywhere suggesting that I’m doing this for the betterment of myself.”

Pack reiterated that in the WILK interview, Bresnahan was asked directly whether he buys or sells stocks based on information from Congress.

“His answer was unequivocal,” Pack said. He said ‘right hand to God on my mother’s life’ that he does not.”

Pack said Bresnahan’s financial advisors manage the portfolio, and his conversations with them are limited to broad discussions about overall risk tolerance and long-term strategy, the same type of retirement planning conversations that millions of Americans have every year.

“In fact, Rob has taken additional steps to avoid even the appearance of a conflict,” Pack said. “As he noted in the same interview, he has exited all of his Pittston real estate, with the exception of a building that burned down, so that no one can suggest he would ever benefit personally from a federal investment in that community.”

Pack added, “Any suggestion that Rob is personally trading stocks based on congressional information is simply false and contradicts what he clearly stated in the interview.”